Priori Incantatem
by Reading-Between-the-Lines18
Summary: They say that you always fall in love with your best friend, but Rose has TWO best friends. And they are both extremely attractive boys. They have been through laughter, tears, and kisses, but only one can be her knight in shining armor. Who will it be?
1. September 1, 2017

**Hey everybody! This is my first ever FanFic, so I am hoping that it will turn out alright! (Fingers crossed). There will be a lot of time jumps throughout this story. I am trying to cover a period of about ten years. Please review, review, REVIEW! It helps updates come quicker and my writing to get better. Here's the first chapter! Tell me what you think!**

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><p><strong>Part 1: The Age of Innocence<strong>

**September 1, 2017:**

"So that's little Scorpius," I heard my father say. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Ron, for heaven's sake," my mother then said. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

I giggled. My mother and father were always fighting about the silliest stuff. Adults. _When I am married, _I thought to myself. _I am never going to fight with my husband. I'll be the princess and, he is going to be my knight in shining armor. We will live happily ever after. _

"You're right, sorry," my father then said. He tells my mother this a lot. She says she is always right. Even when she is wrong.

My father then whispered in my ear, "Don't get _too _friendly with him, though, Rosie. Grandad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

Then James appeared out of nowhere, talking about Teddy and Victoire snogging on the train. I wasn't really listening, though. I was now looking at the Malfoy boy. He had pale skin and blonde hair, almost the spitting image of his father. The only thing that seemed different between the two was their eyes. If you glanced at them, you would only notice that they were the exact same shade of gray, but if you looked closer you could see the difference. While his father's eyes looked hard and cold, like ice, Scorpius' looked softer. They were almost like liquid silver. He didn't look bad, just kind of scared.

Scorpius then turned and looked straight at me. I felt blush rise to my face as I turned away.

I then saw a boy who looked slightly confused. He had dark, brown hair. He had bright, green eyes and wore glasses. He reminded me of my Uncle Harry, though, aside from the eyes and the glasses, they looked nothing alike. His parents were standing next to him, looking confused and a bit worried. I could tell right away that they were Muggles.

"Rose!" I heard someone shout. I turned to find my cousin, Roxanne, running towards me.

Roxanne and I were very close. She was practically my best friend, though we were completely opposites. She liked to dress up and look pretty, while I would rather run around outside and get dirty. She was super outspoken, while I was shy. She was so chill about everything, while I was super competitive. She was the girly girl to my tomboy. Our parents thought it was cute. I thought it was strange, but I guess that's what friends are for.

"Hello Rosie Posie," she said when she caught up to me. Roxanne had the traditional Weasley red hair and freckles. She had beautiful, sky blue eyes. She was taller than me, and liked to point it out whenever she could. I learned to ignore her.

I rolled my eyes. She knows that I hate it when she calls me that.

"We need to find an empty compartment on the train! I am so excited for this year! I can't wait to learn spells and how to make potions. Fred has been bragging about knowing how to do everything for all summer, though I don't believe a word he says. He probably doesn't even know how to tie his own shoes with magic," she then rambled.

I laughed, and then turned and gave both my parents a hug before following Roxanne o on to the train. I thought I would be nervous for this moment, but I wasn't. I was just as excited as Roxanne was.

We walked down the hallway, trying to find an empty compartment. We opened one door to find Victoire and Teddy actually snogging. I felt my face turn instantly red.

They looked up, neither looking all that embarrassed. Victoire looked angry. "What must I do to get some privacy around here!" she shouted. "I have way too many cousins."

Teddy just looked amused at my embarrassment.

Roxanne replied sarcastically, "Well, you could find a place to snog your boyfriend that is a little more private for one." Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway, slamming the compartment door shut.

The two of us found an empty compartment towards to back of the train. I sat down on the soft seat near the window after putting my trunk on the shelf above my head. My cat, Cassiopeia, who was named after my favorite star constellation, was whining in her bag. She hated being cooped up in there. I wanted to let her out, but my parents wouldn't let me.

I stared out of the window, looking at everybody still on the platform. There were parents talking amongst themselves and helping their children. There was an older girl showing her friends pictures of her summer break. There was a broomstick flying around by itself, while Uncle Percy was yelling at someone to bring it down. Lysander and Lorcan Scamander were petting some strange animal as their father smiled proudly at them. I thought for about the billionth time in my life that I loved magic.

My cousin, Albus Potter, then walked in. I know he was worried about being put into Slytherin a couple minutes ago, but he seemed to be a bit calmer now. Uncle Harry probably told him something special.

"Hey guys," Albus said, sitting next to Roxanne.

Roxanne then said, "Just think this is the first day of the rest of our lives! Today we get sorted and make the friends we are going to keep for forever! Who knows, maybe we will meet the person we are going to marry today. Maybe we have already seen them!"

Roxanne was always thinking about boys.

The platform started to empty as more and more children got on to the train. All of a sudden the boy with the glasses I saw outside opened the door to our compartment. He was smiling, but you could still tell that he was a bit nervous. "Can I please sit with you guys? All the other ones are full."

Albus smiled and said, "Of course."

Roxanne threw me a look that said: _He's cute!_ I tried not to giggle.

He walked in, put his stuff above my head, and sat down next to me. "I'm Michael Gold. What's your name?" he asked me.

"I'm Rose, and this is my cousin Roxanne. We're Weasleys. That's our other cousin, Albus," I replied.

"What's a Weasley?"

"You are a Muggle-born, aren't you?" Roxanne asked.

"Roxanne," Albus yelled. "That's rude!"

"What? I was just asking. I have nothing against Muggle-borns. I was just curious. No need to shout."

Michael turned slightly red, though not nearly as bad as a full-blown Weasley blush.

I turned back to him and said, "Don't worry about Roxanne. She's usually not this insane. She's just not used to being around people that don't know as much as her about the wizarding world. You will learn quickly, though. I promise. My mother is a Muggle-born, and she is doing alright."

Roxanne laughed and said, "That's a bit of an understatement."

"Anyways, a Weasley is a 'who' not a 'what.' We're a rather large wizarding family. Most people know about us, so we just assumed that you would know too."

"Oh!" he said, the light bulb turning on in his head. "Like Ron Weasley! I have read about him!"

Roxanne rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "He's my father."

Michael's eyes widened. "You are the daughter of one of the Golden Trio?"

I laughed. "More like two-thirds of it. My mother is Hermione Weasley, but it was probably Granger in the book you read."

"That's crazy," he said. "I didn't know they got married."

"Yeah, most books like to focus more on their adventures than their lives after them. Albus is Harry Potter's son."

Michael's amazement grew. Roxanne laughed. She always thought people's reaction to learning that we were the children of the biggest celebrities out there was the funnies thing ever.

We continued to fill in Michael about the wizarding world, as the train began its long trip to Hogwarts. We talked about which houses we thought we would be sorted into, the rules to Quidditch, and the best candies. Michael surprisingly knew a lot more than I thought. He read a bunch of books over the summer after getting his letter.

Eventually Roxanne and Albus got into some sort of argument, as usual. Michael was staring at his first ever Chocolate Frog Card (Circe). The snack trolley was rolling down the hallway. I smiled. Roxanne was right. This was the first day of the rest of our lives.


	2. September 1, 2017 (Later)

**September 1, 2017 (Later):**

I was in the Great Hall, waiting for Professor Akerley to call my name. This is one of the downfalls of being a Weasley. You always get called at the end. "Abbott, Riley" was already named a Hufflepuff, and soon after "Barbary, Isobel" became the first new Gryffindor.

"Bones, Christopher!" Professor Akerley then called. A boy, who was shorter than most of the other boys, walked up to the stool. He placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and it took a minute before shouting "RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left stood up and began cheering.

"Boot, Trevor!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

I wasn't nervous. I already knew what house I was going to be in. It was obviously Gryffindor. My entire family has been in Gryffindor for generations. I was getting impatient, though. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I really wanted to eat the food that my older cousins said was the best in the world.

"Davis, Bradley!" was then called, and "GRYFFINDOR!" was called seconds after that.

The table on the far left exploded in cheers.

"Finnigan, Tracey!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

She ran and sat down by Isobel.

"Gold, Michael" was then called. I watched as the boy that I made friends with ran up to the stool. On the train he said he wasn't sure what house he was going to be in. We all agreed that we could see him being a Gryffindor, but he didn't seem to sure.

He sat down and carefully placed the hat on his head. Almost instantly it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Roxanne glanced in my direction, and I gave her a confused look back. He didn't seem to be the type of guy to be in Slytherin, but the hat never lies. We just both shrugged our shoulder as he walked towards the cheering table on the far right.

"Li, Roger!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Gryffindors were very loud. They didn't stop until the newly sorted child sat down. The Hufflepuffs seemed to be a bit quieter and shy. Some would wave at the new kids before turning their attention back to the Sorting Hat. The Ravenclaw table was very proper, always shaking the hands of their new recruits, but they were all smiling. Some were introducing themselves to the new boy that was sorted into their house. The Slytherins were very welcoming to their new students. Most of them actually did not look nearly as bad as I heard they did. This reminded me of Scorpius Malfoy.

As if he was reading my mind, Professor Akerley then called, "Malfoy, Scorpius!"

He walked slowly up to the stool. He looked a bit nervous, though he was trying to hide it. He sat down and put the hat on his head. We all waited patiently for him to be sorted. A minutes passed and then another. Professor Akerley frowned. This was taking longer than usual. Then, the hat finally called "SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the far right side started to cheer wildly. He smiled and walked towards the cheering table. He seemed happy with his house. He sat down next to Michael, and they started talking easily. I turned my attention back towards the hat.

"Moon, Stephen!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Nott, Mandy" then became a Slytherin, and "Parin, Alice" became a Gryffindor.

I waited patiently, though I was really hungry now. I could hear my stomach rumbling embarrassingly.

"Perks, Theodore" became a Slytherin, right before Albus was called.

Everybody quieted in the hall as the famous Harry Potter's son walked up to the stool. He sat down and put the hat on his head. It took a moment before the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered loudly as Albus walked toward them. The Weasley clan was super excited, James cheering the loudest of all. Even though, he gives his brother a hard time on most days, James really cared for Albus. Albus seemed relieved about his house. I guess he really wasn't a Slytherin, not that anybody but him actually thought he would be sorted into Slytherin.

"Redwood, Anne," "Rivers, Oliver," and "Roper, Gary" were next. Then it was the Scamander twins and a boy named Justin Smith.

Finally I heard Professor Akerley call "Weasley, Rose." I smiled happy that this was almost over, and I would get to eat. I practically ran up to the stool and jammed the hat on my head.

"Ah! Another Weasley," I heard a voice say near my ear.

_Just say Gryffindor so I can go and eat, _I thought.

"Oh! So you think you are going to be in Gryffindor like the rest of your family? Well, this must come as a surprise then. RAVENCLAW!"

The hall went quiet, including myself. A Weasley hasn't been in any other house in generations.

I carefully pulled the hat off my house and walked to the Ravenclaw table, my face red. Nobody was cheering. Whispers reverberated through the room. It wasn't until "Weasley, Roxanne" was called and also put into Ravenclaw that the table started to cheer. People all of a sudden started to shake my hand. I felt the happiness bubble up within me. I was different. Special.

"Wolfe, Megan" was sorted into Gryffindor, and "Zabini, Mati" was sorted into Slytherin. Then Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, gave a short beginning of the year speech. Then the food was served. My cousins were right. It was delicious.


	3. December 24, 2017

**December 24, 2017:**

It was Christmas Eve, and my mother was rushing my father and me into the living room. We were running late. The Malfoy's every year host a large Christmas Eve party that helps benefit different charities. Everybody who is important go, meaning my parents never missed a year. My father says that Mr. Malfoy just agreed to let his wife throw this party every year, so he could keep all of his father's connections and help his reputation. My mother says that since everybody is trying to fix the mistakes of the past, we need to go to show that there are no more hard feelings.

No matter what my father says, I am excited for tonight. It's been an unspoken rule that children who are too young to go to Hogwarts are not allowed to go. My brother is still too young, but I am finally old enough. My mother even bought me new dress robes for tonight.

Finally, after my mother said the word "exasperated" a bunch of times, we made it to the front of Malfoy Manor. My parents and I walked in together, as my mother reminded my father that "he is to be nice".

The Malfoy's large ballroom was filled with people. After being forced to say hello to a bunch of witches and wizards that were friends of my parents, I escaped to go find Scorpius and Michael.

I know what you are thinking. My father basically told me that I shouldn't be friends with Scorpius. A Malfoy and a Weasley being friends make no sense whatsoever. Well, you can blame that one on Michael. Michael and Scorpius instantly became friends from the moment they said hello to each other at their table after the sorting. I found out that I liked spending time with Michael, and I did it a lot. Since Scorpius was always with Michael, this also meant that I spent a lot of time with Scorpius. What's even weirder is that I found that I actually liked spending time with Scorpius.

Anyways, I found both of them with Albus near the snack table. The three of them were debating which the best Quidditch team was. After telling Michael about Quidditch, he couldn't get enough of it. Only after a couple of months, he knew more about it than most wizards his age. Scorpius adores Quidditch. He is kind of a huge bragger about it. One of the first conversations I ever had with him included him telling me that he is the best player of his age. I rolled my eyes at him. Albus grew up around Quidditch. His mother did play for the Holyhead  
>Harpies.<p>

"Well," I said, jumping right into the conversation. I love Quidditch. "It's obviously the Montrose Magpies."

"See! That's what I said!" Scorpius exclaimed. "I am going to play for them one day."

"Yeah right," Michael said. "You can barely stay on a broomstick."

Soon enough Albus had to go take pictures, and I was left with Michael and Scorpius. That's usually how it goes. Everybody always has something to do, while I hang out with Michael and Scorpius.

The three of us decided to see who could eat the most cupcakes before we either got shooed away from the snack table or got sick. I obviously won.

My mother started yelling at us because we were "terrorizing everybody." I think my mother over exaggerates about everything.

At the end of the night I was full and tired. I remembered thinking that it was definitely the best Christmas Eve party I had ever gone to. Then again I have never been to a Christmas Eve party before, but I knew if I had this one would be better.


	4. March 3, 2019

**March 3, 2019:**

I was outside in the grass on a beautiful Sunday morning. I was playing wizard's chess with Michael, while Scorpius was pretending to take a nap next to us. Scorpius was being dramatic because he thought wizard's chess wasn't interesting. Roxanne was talking to Isobel and Alice, and Albus was tossing a quaffle with Scorpius and Michael's fellow Slytherin second year, Theo.

Michael and I were very focused on our game. Michael was taught how to play during Christmas break during our first year. After only a little over a year, he has gotten so good that he has even beaten sixth years. Michael catches on quickly to everything and could be an expert at it in under a day. My inner competitiveness hated him for it.

"Checkmate," he said, grinning.

I frowned at his queen that he just moved to beat me. I was taught how to play by Ron Weasley himself. I didn't lose very often, and when I did, I was never happy about it. "Whatever," I mumbled. "It's just a stupid game."

Michael found my mini temper tantrum very funny. "Gosh," he said. "I didn't know roses could grow in winter. Don't be so cold."

I sighed. I hated it when people made puns using my name. He knew it too. He was probably thinking about that one the entire game.

"Now that you nerds are done playing your game, can we please do something fun?" Scorpius then whined.

"ROSIE POSIE!" Roxanne then yelled, running towards me with the two Slytherin girls following her.

I was going to strangle her.

"I have a game we are going to play!" she exclaimed. "Isobel was telling me about this Muggle game that she played over Christmas break! It's called 'Spin the Bottle!'"

"How do you play?" Scorpius asked lazily.

Isobel said, "Well, you get a bunch of boys and girl in a circle and put a bottle in the middle. Then someone spins the bottle, and whoever it lands on they have to kiss."

Scorpius' face instantly brightened. "This does sound like a fun game!" he said.

Pig.

I looked at Michael, expecting him to be a bit more mature, but he also seemed really excited. It probably had something to do with the fact that he has the biggest crush on Alice. I guess the chance of possibly kissing her seemed like a good enough reason to play.

"Albus! Theo! Come over here! We need an even number of boys and girls to play this game!" Roxanne then shouted.

They slowly made their way to our growing group. I was hoping that they would think that the game was stupid, therefore preventing us from playing it, but after Isobel explained the rules to them, they both seemed very enthusiastic about playing. I guess I wasn't going to be able to get out of this one.

Stupid boys.

We all organized ourselves in a small circle. I felt butterflies in my stomach. I haven't kissed a boy yet, not that I have told that to anybody in this circle. I know that Roxanne, Scorpius, and Michael all had their first kisses already. It was slightly embarrassing that they all had and I hadn't, so I didn't try to advertise it. Maybe this game would be good, then. At least I can definitely say that I kissed a boy after it.

Somehow we found a bottle and placed it in the middle of our circle. We all stared at it for a moment, letting the tension rise. "So who is going first?" Albus asked.

"I'll go," Theo volunteered.

He gave the bottle a hard twist. All eight of us watched it turn and turn, anxiously waiting for the moment when it would stop. Just then it slowly came to a stop directly in front of Alice. Michael let out a slight groan as Theo leaned across the circle and gave Alice a light peck on her lips.

Albus then spun and the bottle landed on Isobel. Their kiss was quick and a bit awkward because they were sitting on opposite sides of the circle.

I looked at the other three boys, thinking about which one I would rather kiss. Theo was very cute, but I didn't know him all that well, and that didn't settle well with me. I imagined my first kiss to be with my knight in shining armor, and even though I was going to get it through a game of chance, I still had high expectations. If I had to kiss Scorpius, he would never let me live it down. He would tease me about it for the rest of our lives. That left Michael. He would definitely be the best choice of the three. He was sweet and cute, but right now I was supposed to be mad at him for beating me at chess.

I held my breath for a moment as Scorpius spun the bottle. Thankfully it landed on Roxanne.

"Come here, cutie," she said, gesturing with her index finger.

They were obviously the most comfortable with each other. Their kiss lasted a bit longer than all the others, and there was nothing awkward about it. It almost seemed easy and natural, though that didn't help the butterflies at all.

Michael spun the bottle next. It pointed directly at Alice. The grin on his face grew wide. She looked shy. They quickly kissed. He looked smug, and she smiled slightly.

Somehow then everybody agreed that it was my turn to spin the bottle, because I was the only one who hadn't been kissed yet.

I felt my face turn red as I twisted the bottle. It spun around and around. I thought it would never stop, which was fine by me. That meant we could all just walk away and wouldn't have to play this stupid game anymore.

I closed my eyes, deciding that I didn't want to see who it landed on. Next thing I know, I felt slightly moist lips pressed against mine. I opened my eyes to see a pair on silver ones staring back at me. It landed on Scorpius. I closed my eyes again, trying to keep from blushing more. It was over in a second. It was until Scorpius pulled away and everyone turned their attention back to the bottle that Roxanne just spun that I decided that I enjoyed myself just a bit.

We kept on playing until everyone had a turn at spinning the bottle. I thankfully didn't have to kiss anyone else.

Soon enough, everybody except for Michael, Scorpius, and I left to go inside. I wasn't quite ready to go eat dinner yet. I was thinking about my first kiss again, feeling very good about myself.

"So, Rose," Scorpius then said, trying to make his voice all deep. "You are just a _wonderful _kisser. Maybe we should kiss again."

_Way to break my moment, _I thought. I knew I was never going to live it down if I kissed Scorpius. For once in my life, I wished I wasn't right.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you. So thanks, but no thanks," I replied sarcastically. I winked at him, before dashing toward the Great Hall.

Michael laughed before following after me. Scorpius mumbled something about girls and then followed Michael.

I ran faster, not wanting them to catch up.


	5. June 11, 2020

**June 11, 2020:**

It was a cool night. It was a little too cold for summer, but it was nice. Scorpius, Michael, and I were supposed to be eating dinner, but we decided to skip tonight. We were lying in the grass close to our favorite tree on the top of the large hill on the school's grounds. It was a clear night, and Michael and I finished our last exam today. It was Care of Magical Creatures. Being a third year was tough. It felt like ages ago that I was being sorted, but it was actually only three years ago. I still had four more years to go.

For some reason I felt like I was at a crossroads. Like I should be figuring out what my future should be like at this time. When I said this to Michael though, he laughed at me and told me that I was just freaking out about exams. I knew I had plenty of time to think about things like that, but Scorpius already knew he wanted to play professional Quidditch, and Michael wants to be a Healer. I, on the other hand, have no idea what I want to do. I tried taking a bunch of new classes this year to see what I was good at. I just found out that I basically really love astronomy.

Scorpius liked to brag that he didn't have to take an exam today, and he finished a day earlier than us. Michael and I would just tell him that at least we are not going to fail out of Hogwarts.

That's how the entire day went. When we were walking to the Great Hall, I noticed that you could see all the stars perfectly. I walked outside, wanting to get a better look. Michael and Scorpius followed me. We all lied down, and have been in the same spots for almost an hour now.

"I wonder when the exam scores will be posted," Michael said, half to himself.

"Shhhh," Scorpius replied. "You are ruining the moment. No talk of exams for the rest of our lives."

There were billions and billions of stars above us. I don't think I have ever seen so many stars, even in astronomy class. I think I am one of the few people who like that class. Professor Robins wasn't the most interesting teacher, but he was good at his job. Plus, I have a thing for stars. For example, on a night like tonight anything feels possible.

I started to shiver. It really was cold outside, and I wished I had a jacket to put on. I thought about going inside for one, but I really didn't want to leave the stars, even for a moment. It was all just so beautiful.

"You cold, Rose?" Michael asked.

"A bit. I'll be fine though," I replied.

"Here," he said, shifting towards me. He wrapped both of his arms around me, and I instantly felt a lot warmer. Michael was like some sort of Muggle space heater. He was always warm no matter if it was a hundred degrees below zero or a hundred degrees above zero. It was unnatural.

"Rose is getting it on with the Golden Boy," Scorpius then sing-songed.

I rolled my eyes. The 'Golden Boy' was the nickname Michael acquired, sometime during our second year. It was ridiculously fitting. Michael was perfect at everything. He always got top marks, and the both of us were always fighting to see who could be the top of our class. He was a very good Quidditch player. He is still the only person who can beat me a wizard's chess. He really was golden. Even his name stated so.

Michael chuckled at Scorpius' comment, while I squirmed a bit in his arms. Scorpius always knew how to get under my skin.

I replied, trying to maintain my cool, "If you want to join, Scorpius, be my guest. We could have a cute little threesome."

"That's alright, my dear," he replied, completely unfazed. "I don't need Gold leftovers all over me, but thank you for the offer."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't know when Scorpius became so crude. I was probably because he spends way too much time with my cousin, James Potter. I have been trying to make him squirm all year, because he does it to me all the time. He could say three words, and I would feel gross for the rest of the day. But, like just now, if I tried to get under his skin, he would just shoot it right back at me. Sometimes I hated Scorpius.

"Yeah, besides Rosie," Michael said, "I don't want to share you. I think I am going to keep you all to myself."

I looked at him, flabbergasted. I blushed. All of a sudden it seemed a little too warm in his arms.

He nodded his head towards Scorpius and winked at me.

"Hey," Scorpius retorted. "I believe I was the one who kissed her first. I think that means I am sharing her with you."

Michael smiled at me, and then I knew that's exactly what he was fishing for. Scorpius still liked to mention that stupid little kiss we shared during our second year. I was starting to get sick of it. Usually I would be fine if it was just Scorpius. I would just ignore him, and he would get bored of it. But Michael now is in on the joke. They both like to tag team me, like right now, and you can't just ignore Michael. He is a little more persistent than Scorpius is. So I am stuck with spin the bottle jokes at least twice a week.

"You two are actually terrible. I don't know why I spend so much time with you both," I grumbled.

They both laughed.

"Oh you know you love us, Rosie Posie," Scorpius said.

I gave him the iciest glare I could manage. He stared back at me innocently until I started to laugh.

I could never stay mad at either of them for too long.

I looked back up at the stars. They really were a beautiful sight. I don't think I have ever seen so much at one time.

All of a sudden I saw a streak of light flash across the sky. Excitement bubbled up within me.

"Ohmygosh! Did you just see that!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah! I have never seen one in real life before," Michael said, next to me.

"Me either," I replied.

"Hurry guys! We need to make a wish," then Scorpius exclaimed.

I closed my eyes, trying to think about what to wish for. It took a second for me to think about it. I was happy at the moment. Everything was perfect. I had a great family, who loved me. I went to a great school where I received great grades. I was outside looking at the stars with my two best friends. Then I knew exactly what I wanted to wish for.

_I wish for Scorpius, Michael, and I to be best friends forever. I wish for the three of us to hang out, go to Scorpius' Christmas Eve parties, make jokes, laugh, have nights like this together always. I wish for things to always stay the same. _

I opened my eyes, feeling a warmness in my stomach. Wishes on shooting stars always come true.

"What did you wish for?" Scorpius asked the two of us.

"You idiot. Don't you know you are not supposed to tell your wishes if you want them to come true," I retorted.

"I have never heard that rule before," Scorpius replied.

"Well, I promise you it's true, so you shouldn't tell me your wish. On second thought, maybe you should. If you don't know the rules of wishing on shooting stars, then you obviously don't deserve to have a wish."

"Will you guys cut it out," Michael said, always being the delegator. "Sometimes you guys make me want to trade the two of you for a good dog."

Scorpius and I looked at each other. He raised an eyebrow, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

I snuggled closer into Michael, trying to inconspicuously reach for his wand that was hiding in his pocket. After I closed my hand around it, I nodded towards Scorpius, and we both got up and dashed towards the entrance to the school, laughing.

Michael looked confused for a moment, but after realizing what we had just done, he started to chase the two of us.

Scorpius and I played 'Keep-the-Wand-Away-From-Michael' until I heard my stomach grumble. Maybe skipping dinner wasn't one of the brightest ideas we have ever had.

"Guys, is it just me or are you super hungry also?" I said, my stomach grumbling again, verifying my point.

"Let's go down to the kitchens and grab something to eat," Scorpius said.

"You know how to get to the kitchens?" Michael asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, James showed me one day."

Scorpius definitely spent a little too much time with James Potter, but it was useful at times.

The three of us walked together to the castle, taking one last glance at the sky. I knew I made the right wish. I only hoped that it would come true.


	6. October 15, 2020

**October 15, 2020:**

I was pounding on the door to the Slytherin dormitories. I am not proud to say that I spend way too much time in their common room. I actually try to stay out of the dungeons completely, but that doesn't work out too well for me. For some reason whenever I hang out with Scorpius and Michael, I always end up in the Slytherin common room. I can't bring them to the Ravenclaw common room, because the one time I did, Roxanne and a couple of other Ravenclaws wouldn't stop complaining about them being there until they left. It's too cold outside, especially when it's snowing. So, that only leaves the Slytherin common room.

The Slytherins are actually surprisingly pretty okay with me being there. Or at least I think they are. Nobody has complained yet, so I think it is safe to assume that they are okay with it. I think I am the only person who actually cares. Their common room has that soggy smell that only dungeons have, and I don't like the lack of natural light. Whenever I go there I always complain that we need to find a new place to hang out.

So, you knew it was an absolutely emergency when I was practically begging to get inside. I was on a mission. I needed to talk to Scorpius right away. I was having a mental breakdown.

After about five minutes of pounding on the door, Mati Zabini came walking down the hallway.

She gave me a confused look before saying, "There is no use in attack our door, Rose. Nobody can hear the knocking from the other side."

I gave her an exasperated sigh and replied, "Well, then can you please open the door? If you can't tell I am kind of in a rush right now."

"Wow, chill Rose. Just trying to help," she said before whispering the password. The door easily swung open.

I felt a tiny bit sorry for snapping at her. Mati is actually a sweet girl. Like Michael, she is not the stereotype Slytherin. But I wasn't sorry enough to apologize. Instead I sprinted into the common room and ran right into Michael. The two of us went crashing to the floor. This was starting to get really frustrating. I let out a scream.

"God, Rose," Michael said, while untangling himself from me. "Where's the fire? Are you about to die or something?"

"I just really need to find Scorpius," I replied, quickly getting up off the floor. "If I don't, I will be as good as dead."

Michael gave me a worried look, but I ignored him. He must also be a bit confused as to why I am going to Scorpius with my problem. He is usually the one that I go and cry to, but Michael can't really help me with what I need right now. I needed Scorpius' expertise, not good advice.

"You are not going to your room anytime soon are you?" I then asked.

"No, I am going to study with Alice," he replied, turning slightly red.

After a year and a half of crushing on her, Michael finally got the guts to ask out Alice. Of course, she was thrilled. By Michael's expression, I knew what "studying" really meant. I threw my arms up in the air, getting even more frustrated. That was not making my mission any easier.

I ran towards the fourth year boys dormitories. I found Scorpius thankfully alone in the room. I didn't know where Theo was right now, but at that moment I was just happy that he wasn't here.

You could easily tell which bed belonged to whom. Scorpius' area was complete disaster. There were Quidditch posters plastering his walls, clothes strewn everywhere, chocolate frog cards and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans boxes cluttering his nightstand.

Michaels was much neater. His bed was perfectly made. There were books stacked neatly on his nightstand. A large poster of his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, was on the wall. I mentally laughed at this poster, thinking of my father. They both just don't understand that they are probably the worst team ever known to man.

Theo's looked the closest to a normal teenaged boy's room. His bed was tidy, but not pristine. There were a couple of drawers with clothes hanging out of them, but nothing too embarrassing. His broomstick was leading against his bedpost. The dormitory was definitely different from mine.

Scorpius was sitting on his bed, cleaning up his broomstick. He tried out this year for the Quidditch team, and made it. He was one of the three chasers. There have been practices nonstop for the past month. Between that and his sharing him with his current girlfriend, Mandy Nott, I have barely seen him. Actually since Michael has been dating Alice, and I have been dating Trevor, the three of us haven't hung out together in a while.

Anyways, tomorrow was Scorpius' very first game, and he was super pumped. He has been talking about it every moment I have been with him, though he has been trying to act like he didn't care. Michael and I could easily see through his façade though.

He looked up from his broomstick after I stormed in. He took one glance at my worried expression and asked, "What's wrong, Rose?"

"I need your help with something," I replied, not moving from the doorway.

"What is it?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone, though."

"Rose, you are kind of starting to scare me. Did you kill someone or something? Do you need me to hide the body? Because someone seeing me with a dead body will not do well with my fam—"

"Just promise me that you won't tell anybody," I said, cutting him off and finally moving to sit next to him on the bed.

"Alright. I won't tell anybody," he said, putting his broomstick down on the bed next to him.

"And that you won't laugh at me, or make fun of me, or anything," I then added.

"Okay, okay. I promise. Now will you tell me why you are freaking out, or am I going to have to go find Michael?" he said next.

"No! You can't tell Michael," I explained. "Not now, not ever. This is strictly between the two of us."

"Okay."

I paused for another second. He stared at me, waiting patiently for me to tell him what was bothering me. I felt the blush rise to my cheeks, before I told him my problem all in one breath. I said it so fast that I didn't even comprehend what I was trying to say.

"Wait a second," he said, looking more confused than ever. "One more time, but slower this time."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before repeating, "Roxanne told me that Stephen Moon told her that Trevor is going to kiss me this weekend."

Trevor Boot was my very first boyfriend. We started dating at the beginning of this year, and I really liked him, but we haven't kissed yet.

"And? What does that have to do with me?" he asked, picking up his broom again. He went back to polishing the handle.

"I haven't kissed a boy yet," I said. "Well, except for you, but that doesn't really count," I added, not wanting to get into the gory details.

I could see him suppress a smile, as he put his broomstick back down. I appreciated this. At least he was trying to be serious.

"So what you are asking me is…" he then said, letting himself trail off.

"Well, I don't want to be a bad kisser. And I don't really know what to do. And what if I freeze up, and everything is super awkward, and no other boy will ever want to kiss me ever again. I need your help," I said, the blush returning to my cheeks.

"Rosie Posie. Are you asking what I think you are asking?" he said, his eyes widening slightly.

I looked down at the cracks in the floor and let out a sigh, before saying, "Yeah, I think I am."

"Oh, no! This is not happening!" he exclaimed.

"Pleas, Scorpius," I begged, pouting just a bit. I was desperate. "Just for a couple of minutes."

"Fine but you have to promise that you will help me with all of my homework for the rest of the year," he then said. He could never resist the puppy dog face.

"Deal," I said.

"Now I am glad that I promised not to tell anybody about this. I don't think either of our significant others would appreciate me giving you Kissing 101," he then added. "Okay, first you need to relax and not think about it all that much."

I unsuccessfully attempted to clear my mind, still looking at the floor.

"Next you need to make sure that the boy can easily access your mouth. Trust me when I say this, missing is the most awkward situation you will ever be in."

I turned my head towards him. I let out a slight gasp when I saw his liquid silver eyes closer than I expected them to be.

"Relax," he said, softly. "Now when he leans in, you close your eyes. Then you just let him take control."

I did as he said, and I was surprised when I felt his lips touch mine. I instantly melted into him, feeling butterflies tingle in my stomach. The kiss was slow and nice, very different from the first one we shared. He opened his mouth slightly, and I responded by doing the same. Soon enough we were full-blown snogging. I found that I didn't want to stop, so when he finally pulled away I was disappointed.

"And that's basically it," he said, adverting his eyes and running his hand through his hair.

"Uh, thanks," I said, getting up and awkwardly walking towards the door.

"Rose," he said just as I was about to leave. I turned to face him. "You'll do fine. I promise."

I nodded and left feeling much more confident than when I walked in.


	7. July 14, 2021

**July 14, 2021:**

I was at the Burrow visiting my grandparents with Albus, Lily, Hugo, and Roxanne. Albus, Roxanne, and I were allowed to each bring a friend. Albus brought his really cute friend Oliver, I convinced Roxanne to bring Michael, and I brought Scorpius.

Lily was upset that her parents wouldn't let her bring a friend to the Burrow. She grumbled something along the lines of "I hate it when I get left out just because I am the youngest." Hugo didn't really mind all that much. He was always content with just reading a couple of comic books alone in his room. I am slightly upset to say that my younger brother is a bit of a nerd. Nobody else mind's though. They all say it's cute, and that he will probably grow out of it. I don't believe a word they say.

Roxanne admitted to me a couple of weeks ago that she liked Michael. I didn't really approve, because Roxanne is kind of a slut. She does through boyfriends like people change clothes. While I was freaking out all year about my now ex-boyfriend, Trevor, Roxanne would be dating one guy one day, and the next she would be hooking up with his best friend.

She got away with it though, because she is drop dead gorgeous. Roxanne's hair was perfectly straight, and the red was starting to fade to a pretty auburn. My hair is still bright red and a lot wavier than hers. She didn't inherit any of the freckles that splattered my nose. She was taller and thinner than me. The only feature of mine that was prettier than hers was my eyes. Mine were a dark blue, while hers were just plain brown. I wasn't jealous of her looks, though I was sometimes jealous of the way she could get a guy and not worry at all about losing him or the fact that she could roll out of bed looking like a movie star.

Anyways, Michael was such a sweetie that I didn't think Roxanne would be the greatest match for him. She had been flirting with him nonstop for the past month. Though, I didn't want them to date, I used her crush to my advantage. I only had to mention it to convince her to bring Michael to the Burrow.

It was such a pretty day outside. It was warm and the flowers were blooming. I was sitting on a loveseat near the window in the room I shared with Roxanne, reading a book. It seemed almost cruel to be sitting inside on a day like this.

Oliver walked into my room and sat down next to me. I smiled at him and said, "What's up?"

"Just coming to see what you are doing?" he replied, with the smallest of smirks on his face.

"I'm just reading a book, but I think I am about done for the day," I replied, closing the book and leaning a bit closer to him.

The eight of us have been her for about three weeks now, and Oliver and I have been flirting with each other the entire time. We weren't dating officially or anything. We were just having fun. We have kissed only once though, but by the way he was looking at me right now, I felt like I was going to have to add one to that number. Hey, Roxanne did it all the time, so why couldn't I?

"Oh, you didn't have to stop just for my benefit?" he then said, the smirk growing.

I laughed. "Who said anything about benefitting you? I was just getting a bit bored with the story."

"Well, maybe I could be a bit more entertaining," he said. Then he leaned in.

I wasn't completely sure if I like Oliver or not. He was cute and everything, but he really wasn't all that interesting. And all he seemed to want to do was snog with me, but it was nice having a guy like me. I haven't had a guy like me since around Christmas time when Trevor and I broke up, and I found that I actually really liked kissing guys. And Oliver was a good kisser, so I decided to keep him for a bit longer.

We had been snogging for only a couple of minutes when I heard someone clear their voice. I looked at the doorway, praying it wasn't Grandma or Grandad Weasley. Thankfully it was only Michael. I let out a sigh of relief.

He frowned and said, "I was supposed to come in here and ask you guys if you wanted to play Quidditch with us, but it seems like you are already pretty occupied."

"No, it's alright" I said, blushing slightly. "Quidditch sounds like fun."

The two of us got up for the loveseat. I grabbed my broomstick from the corner in the room, and then we both followed Michael out of the room.

"I am just going to go grab my broomstick from my room," Oliver then said.

"Sure," I replied. "Just meet us outside on the top of the hill," I replied.

Michael was till frowning as we were walking outside. "So, who is playing?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

"You, Scorpius, Roxanne, Albus, Oliver, and I," he replied.

"So, Lily and Hugo aren't playing?" I asked.

"No."

"What is your problem!" I then exclaimed. I hated it when Michael iced me out. He was really stubborn, unlike Scorpius who I could break after a couple of minutes of pestering.

"I didn't know that you and Oliver were a thing," he merely replied. He said Oliver as if it was a piece of spinach stuck between his teeth.

"We aren't," I replied, coolly.

"Then what were you doing snogging him?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's no big deal. It's not like I am Scorpius and his girlfriend who look like they are shagging each other in the middle of every single hallway."

"Rose, I don't approve of you just kissing some random guy just because," he then said, using his fake adult voice he usually reserves for teachers only.

I was starting to get a bit mad. Since when did he have to approve the boys I kissed? "Okay, _father. _I promise next time I meet a boy that's cute I will wear my chastity ring, and make sure he stays ten feet away at all times."

"Rose, I am being serious right now," he then said.

"Fine, then. I'll be serious too. You have no say in who I kiss and for what reason. That's my business," I said as we reached the top of the hill. "So are we going to play or what?"

Michael was grumbling to himself as I walked over to Roxanne. Lily was standing next to her. Apparently she did actually want to play, but since Hugo didn't want to play, she kind of got kicked out of game. We couldn't have uneven teams. That just wouldn't be fair. Lily was pouting slightly. She hated it when she got left out just because she was the youngest.

"Golden Boy looks super sexy in that t-shirt, don't you think? I am practically drooling over here," Roxanne said the moment I stood next to her.

"Yeah, I know," Lily said, brightening just a bit.

I groaned and then walked away. I did not want to hear how perfect the "Golden Boy" was right now.

"Was it something I said?" Roxanne shouted as I walked away from her. I ignored her comment. She would get over it.

"You don't look too happy," Albus then pointed out as I passed him.

"I just want to get this game started," I mumbled back.

At this time Oliver showed up with his broomstick. Then all of us divided into two teams. It was Albus, Oliver, and I against Scorpius, Michael, and Roxanne.

The game was a complete disaster. Apparently Michael talked to Scorpius about my endeavors, because both of them were constantly attacking Oliver and neither would listen to me when I tried to tell them to stop. Roxanne could not stop flirting with Michael. It was absolutely annoying. Oliver just didn't understand why my boys were always targeting him, even when he didn't have to quaffle. It seemed like Albus and I were the only mature ones that were playing.

After Albus score his seventh goal in a row without anybody even attempting to block him, I flew over to him. "Want to just call it quits and go and get some ice cream inside?" I asked, giving up on being annoyed.

"That sounds like way more fun than watching the circus of a game that is going on right now," he replied.

The two of us busted out into laughter. I forgot how much I liked hanging out with Albus.

The two of us flew back down to the Burrow. None of our friends even noticed that we left.


	8. September 21, 2021

**September 21, 2021:**

I was walking towards the Room of Requirement to meet Michael and Scorpius. My Uncle George told Roxanne about this room one day, and then she told me. It was the perfect solution to my "I-hate-the-Slytherin-common-room" problem. Ever since then, it's been the place where Michael, Scorpius, and I have been meeting.

We've been trying to hang out regularly, even with our busy schedules. Due to that time last year when we were all dating someone, and we never got to see each other, we have decided that every week we would meet on Thursday nights to just hang out with each other. Nobody else was allowed to be invited.

I was running a bit later than usual. I had just taken a shower after a long Quidditch practice that ran late. I decided that I was going to try out this year, and I happily made it. I was the new Ravenclaw seeker. My father wanted me to be a keeper just like him, but the captain told me that I was too tiny. I think he was right when he said that. I have the perfect build for a seeker.

I was about to turn the corner of the hallway where the Room was located, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard Michael say my name. I listened for another moment and heard him then mention their friend, Theo's, name.

I got all excited for a moment. I have liked Theo for a while now, and Roxanne has been telling me that he likes me back. I haven't believed her though. I was going to ask Michael tonight, but it seems like he was already going to answer my question without me even having to ask. Too bad I didn't have any extendable ears on me.

I waited for them both to enter the Room of Requirement before I walked down the hallway. I walked past the blank wall three times like I was supposed to, thinking, _I need a way to eavesdrop on Scorpius and Michael._

I then opened the door that appeared and found myself in what seemed like a Muggle telephone booth. At first I freaked. Having a random telephone booth in the room in the room was not inconspicuous whatsoever. After a moment I calmed down, though. I could see Scorpius and Michael in the room, but they couldn't seem to see me.

I picked up the telephone, and all of sudden I could hear their voices as if they were standing right next to me. I smiled.

"So let me get this straight," Scorpius said. "Theo asked you if you could talk to Rose."

"Yes," Michael replied.

"And ask her if she would go out with him?"

"Yeah."

"Why? Can't he just ask her himself?"

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Scorpius could have the thickest head known to man. I wanted to scream at him, "Just because you are an unemotional prick, doesn't mean that all boys are." I was hoping Michael would say it for me.

"Theo's a nice guy, and you know Rose is practically in love with him," Michael said instead.

It wasn't the exact words I wanted, but it would do.

"Ugh, I hate it when Rose does that. Rose shouldn't date boys. We are disgusting," Scorpius then said.

You are telling me.

Michael laughed before saying, "Well at least he is better than that prat Oliver. I don't know what she was thinking this summer."

I rolled my eyes. They barely talked to me the rest of our stay at the Burrow. I had to promise them that Oliver was just a summer fling before things went back to normal. It was absolutely ridiculous!

"Yeah, where is that girl anyways? She is almost half an hour late, and she is usually here ten minutes early."

I decided that this would be a good time to show up. I walked out of my little telephone booth, and Michael said, "Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear."

I just smirked. "Hey guys! What were you talking about?"

Both of them glance at each other with guilty faces before saying, "Nothing" at the same time.

I mentally chuckled.

I have to mess with these boys just a little bit, or I wouldn't know what to do with myself.


	9. December 7, 2021

**December 7, 2021:**

I was with Michael, sobbing my eyes out into his shoulder. He had one arm wrapped around me, and the other was petting my head. I had been crying for about five minutes now. I ran into the Great Hall during dinner time, tears filling my eyes. Michael took one look at me and got up from his table. Scorpius tried to follow him, but Michael knew that this wasn't a conversation Scorpius should be a part of. I loved Scorpius, but he wasn't the most sensitive of guys.

Michael quickly walked up to me and pulled me outside. Now here we are, me sobbing into his shoulder while he was being the sweetest guy known to man.

"So what happened?" he asked me.

It took me a second before I could calm myself down enough for me to form coherent words. "We broke up," I finally forced out. It brought another round of sobs out of me. I felt like I was falling apart.

He gave me a questioning look before asking, "Wait who broke up with whom?"

"It was kind of a mutual thing," I replied.

Now he looked more confused than ever. He asked, still soothingly, "But I thought you really liked him, Rose?"

"I did. I think I was falling in love with him," I squeaked out. This was the first time I said it out loud, and it was true. I may have not been all the way there yet, but I could feel myself going in that direction.

"When I talked to you this morning, you said you were going to invite him to Scorpius' Christmas Eve party," Michael then pointed out.

He was right. I woke up this morning determined to invite him to the party. I have never invited anybody to come with me. It was always a time that I reserved for my boys, but Theo was different. Both Michael and Scorpius really liked him. The four of us could hang out, and even I would sometimes forget that he would be hanging out with us because he was my boyfriend. He just felt so comfortable around them. After talking about it with Michael, I thought it would be a good idea to invite him.

"So you went to meet up with him. Then what happened?" Michael urged.

I explained to him that I met Theo in the Room of Requirement. He had the perfect dinner set up for the both of us. There was candlelight and violins and really cheesy stuff like that, but Theo knew that I would love it. It was beautiful and one of the sweetest things any guy has ever done for me.

We sat down and ate. We talked and had a good time, but I could tell that Theo had something on his mind. When I suggested that we move to the couch that magically appeared in the room, Theo declined.

Never has he ever declined.

I now knew that something was definitely up. I asked Theo what was on his mind, and he told me that we needed to talk. I knew where those dreaded words were going, but I hoped that I was misinterpreting him.

He told me that his father got a new job in the United States, and that his family was moving there at the end of this week. I asked him how long he knew about it, and he told me a month. He knew about this move for an entire month, and he didn't even think to mention it to me!

So then he said that since he wouldn't be coming back to England very much that he thought it would be best for us to break up.

"And what did you say?" Michael asked.

"What do you think I said?" I snapped. "I wasn't going to be dating a boy that lived on the other side of the world that I would never see."

"So you two broke up," he said, calmly. He was even offended that I just practically bit his head off.

"Yeah, but first he put this necklace on me and gave me a kiss goodbye."

The necklace was cool against my skin. It had a silver heart pendant hanging from it. I pulled it over my neck, breaking the clasp, and threw it across the room. I was angry. Angry that things couldn't work out for once in my life. Angry that I had finally found the perfect guy, and even he couldn't stay.

Michael let me go for a second to walk over and pick up the broken necklace. "_Reparo!_" he said, fixing the necklace. Then he walked back over to me.

He tried to put it back on me, but I pulled away from him.

"You'll be sorry that you don't have it when you are gone," he said, his bright green eyes boring into me.

"I don't want the stupid necklace. I don't want anything to do with that stupid git!" I snapped again, tears falling from my eyes.

"Yes you do. Now stop fidgeting and let me put it back on you," he said.

I did as he told me, but I wasn't happy. I didn't think I would ever be happy ever again.


	10. February 14, 2022

**February 14, 2022:**

I don't know how I ended up here. It didn't even matter how; I was going to blame it all on Roxanne anyways. It was always her fault. I wouldn't be here if she hadn't gotten me into this mess.

About a week ago, Justin Smith asked me to be his Valentine. If it were three months earlier, I would have thought this was the sweetest thing ever. I have never had a Valentine before. But this wasn't three months ago. This was right now, and right now I hated anything and everything that could have the any of the following reactions: "Aww…", "That was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen!", or "Just take me to a bed right now and have your way with me before I die."

I believe "asking someone to be your Valentine" fell under "That was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen!"

So I was going to wait a day then politely decline his sickeningly sweet offer, but of course who would get in the way but none other than the wonderful Roxanne Weasley. That night when she asked about it, I told her that I was probably going to study on Valentine's Day or something along those lines. She replied by saying that that wouldn't do, and I definitely needed to be his Valentine.

"Why? It's not like it really matters?" I said.

"Why? Because he is a cute guy that asked you to be his Valentine, you have been moping around since Theo has moved away, and it is time that you start dating again or you will end up an old lady with a thousand cats," she said, annoyingly.

"I am allergic to cats," I retorted.

"Even worse. You will also be unattractive from constantly sneezing due o your large number of cats."

I rolled my eyes at her. She replied by saying, "I am not letting you say no. If you don't people will start think that you are dating Scorpius."

"Why would they think that?" I asked, surprised by her comment.

"Well people wouldn't think that you were dating Michael. He is definitely mine," she replied, smirking.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my irritation being replaced with curiosity for a moment.

"Well I took Michael to my favorite broom cupboard last night, and let's just say that he is definitely not gay," she then said.

I hit her and exclaimed, "You slept with Michael!"

She put on a mock horror face and said, "Darling, I didn't think you thought of me so lowly. I am a bit classier than that. I am proud to say that I am a virgin."

"Whatever."

After about another hour of her pestering me about it, I finally agreed that I would go out with Justin just so she would shut up.

So here I am. Out on date with Justin Smith. Oh, and did I mention what his bright idea was? He thought it would be nice to take me out on a very small boat in the middle of the Great Lake. You know what there is to do on a boat? Absolutely nothing.

I was going to eat Roxanne alive when I got the chance.

Neither of us had said anything since we have been out here. I was racking my mind for a good first date topic to talk about, but I was coming up completely blank. I was never the best at starting conversations.

Justin also seemed very shy. He was a little shorter than most of my previous boyfriends. He was very sweet, never saying anything to make me dislike him. He was the stereotypical Hufflepuff.

I actually had no problems with him besides the fact that he was a bit too quiet for me. A couple of months ago I would have loved to go out on a date with him. I would have probably tried a bit harder also. It was just ever since Theo moved away I had no urge to date anybody. The only boy I have flirted with since he moved away was Scorpius, and he doesn't even count since neither of us are serious when we flirt with each other.

"So, I brought food," he said, pulling out a picnic basket from under one of the benches in the boat.

I groaned. He was practically begging for us to get eaten.

He opened the basket, and almost instantly one of the giant squid's tentacles flew into the air. It came crashing down on the side of the boat, knocking both us and the picnic basket into the water. Considering it was the middle of February, and it snowed yesterday, it was easy to assume that the water would be freezing. I am sorry to say that I didn't have to assume anything. I got first-hand information.

I swam to the surface, gasping for breath. When I finally broke the surface and caught my breath, I found Justin let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His face looked like his whole world was shattered. Like I was the most important thing to him at the moment.

I instantly felt guilty. Justin was actually a really good guy, and I put about zero effort into this date. He was going to make some girl very happy one day, and even though I didn't believe I was that girl, it was only right that I give him his fair chance.

I let out a laugh and said, "Yeah, but let's get this boat inside before I die of hypothermia."

He smiled back at me and helped me flip the boat back over. Then after many unsuccessful attempts to climb back on to the boat, he helped me up. I was soaked all the way through my winter coat, and I was freezing. I could tell that he was just as cold as I was, because his lips were turning purple.

I helped him row the boat back to the boathouse. After tying the boat up and grabbing a couple of towels each that the staff leaves for people like us who accidentally tip their boats, we sat in the boathouse talking for a bit.

I learned that Justin wanted to become an Auror. "Mad-Eye" Moody was one of his heroes. I told him the stories that my parents told me about Mad-Eye. Then I told him about how I still have no idea what I wanted to do with my future. Even through all of my complaints, he seemed genuinely interested in everything that I had to say.

We sat there and talk for hours until I stared to sneeze. I knew I was definitely going to be sick tomorrow, but I didn't mind.

Justin walked me back to the Ravenclaw dormitory. He nervously ran his hand through his hair. I remember thinking that Michael also does this when he is nervous.

"Goodnight," he said. "Don't forget to tell me how you are feeling tomorrow. I am so sorry that I got you sick."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, smiling.

"No, but seriously, I should have been smarter than to bring a picnic basket. Today was kind of a re—"

I cut him off by placing a quick kiss on his lips. "That's for a wonderful day. Now go and get some rest or you will me sick also."

His face reddened slightly. "Bye, Rose," he said.

"Night," I replied, before answering the bird's question.

I wasn't surprised to see Roxanne waiting right by the door. She practically mauled me the second I walked in.

"How was it? Did you have fun? Was he a good kisser?"

"I am had a good time," I merely replied.

"Details! Details!" she exclaimed.

"No, I am tired. I am going to bed," I replied, heading towards our dormitory.

"I knew setting you up with him would be a good idea," Roxanne shouted after me.

I was so tired and happy that I didn't have the effort to snap back at her. Maybe tomorrow.


	11. March 17, 2023

**March 17, 2023:**

I was sitting with Roxanne and Lily in the stands at the Quidditch pitch. Today was the perfect day to play Quidditch, and it was going to be a great game. The Slytherins were playing the Gryffindors. Everybody knows of their long lasting rivalry, and what's even better is that the two captains are Scorpius and Albus. They are the first Slytherin and Gryffindor captains that are friends in over a century. Both teams are really good too.

Scorpius and Michael are both chasers, and between the two of them they score more points than I can receive from catching the snitch. They always seem to be reading each other's mind. It is actually really freaky to watch.

Albus has been practically whipping his team during practices. He has a pretty solid team. James, the seeker of the team, occasionally complains that his younger brother is captain, but everybody, including him, knows that he doesn't put enough effort to be the captain of any team. We unfortunately lost to them right before Christmas break. They are in first place in the league right now, but the Slytherins are a very close second. Basically whoever won this game would win the Cup.

Roxanne was there cheering for Michael. After quite a few months of snogging in broom cupboards and me and Scorpius telling them to "just go out already," they decided to make their relationship official.

Lily was there obviously because she was also a Gryffindor, but I knew that she was also silently rooting for Michael. I could tell that Lily had fancied Michael for a while now. I don't think that Roxanne has caught on just yet, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell her. Even though Roxanne goes through guys quickly, she is very territorial of her boys when she is with him. Having her little cousin fancying her boyfriend would not go over well with her, and Lily would never stand a chance.

I was here, of course, to cheer for my boys, but more importantly to cheer for my current boyfriend. He was a beater on the Gryffindor team. Things with Justin didn't last more than a couple of dates, like I knew it would. When we started our sixth year, Albus introduced me to his friend, Bradley. He asked me out a little over a week later. I have been dating him for about four and a half months now. He is my first serious boyfriend since Theo.

Unfortunately Scorpius and Michael couldn't stand him. They were always blatantly rude whenever he was with us. It was like they turned into completely different people. It's actually to the point where I have just given up on attempting to get the three of them to be nice to each other.

The game just started. Fred, Roxanne's older brother, was the announcer. When my father and Uncle Harry sometimes come to watch games, they both say that he reminds them of someone named Lee Jordan.

"And Gryffindor has the quaffle. Rivers tosses to Potter who dodges a bludger by Flint. That has to be some sort of foul."

"No it's not," Professor Akerley said.

"It's not? Well anyways, Potter is flying fast down the pitch—no, he is stopped by Gold. Gold is tossing to Malfoy, who tosses back to Gold, who tosses back to Malfoy, who shoots and—nice block by the amazing Gryffindor keeper, Shimpling. Potter gets the ball again. He throws it to Wood, who throws it to Rivers and—OUCH—that's got to hurt. Rivers has been hit by a bludger sent by Guffy. That's going to leave a mark. Marx has acquired the quaffle, and he passes it to Malfoy. He dodges a bludger sent by Davis and shoots and—THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A FAKE! HOW COULD YOU EVEN MISS THAT! COME ON SHIMPLING! YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

"Weasley!" Professor Akerley shouted.

I cheered loudly for Scorpius, guiltily happy that the bludger that Bradley sent didn't hit him. I have always hated it when either Scorpius or Michael got hit by those things. I have had my had my fair share of bludger hits, and let me tell you, the bruises that they leave are not fun to deal with.

"Sorry, Professor. Anyways, ten points for Slytherin. Woods has the quaffle. He quickly zooms towards the Slytherin goalposts, dodging a bludger sent by Guffy. Nice try, but you are going to have to be better than that. He shoots—Barker, the Slytherin keeper dives—misses—and GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

The stands go wild. Lily is loudly cheering, while Roxanne is pouting slightly. I laugh at the scene.

"Malfoy has the quaffle. He passes to Gold, who passes back to Malfoy, who passes back to Gold, who shoots and—WAS THAT THE SNITCH?"

And it was. It was flying close to the Slytherin goalposts. Both James and the Slytherin seeker, Laura Madley, were dashing towards the goalposts. Madley was closer to begin with and a lot smaller, due to the fact that she was just a second year, but James had a faster broom. It was going to be close.

"GO JAMES GO!" Fred shouted at his best friend.

They were within inches of the snitch, coming from different directions. Both of them dove, and tumbled off their brooms at nearly the same time. A lot of dust and sand flew into the air. Nobody could tell who had the snitch.

After a couple of seconds, that felt like hours, of anxious waiting. Laura threw her hand into the air, the snitch in her grasp.

The Slytherins erupted into chaos! It was so loud that I could barely even hear myself think. Roxanne was on her feet doing a little happy dance. Even Lily was cheering. The Gryffindors did not look happy, though. Especially not Albus. He really thought that he had the Cup this year. I was going to have to cheer him up later.

Scorpius, on the other hand, looked like someone just gave him a million dollars. He personally flew over to Laura and lifted her on to his shoulders. The rest of the team also followed suit. The pitch was still going chaotic fifteen minutes later, when Professor McGonagall said, "_Sonorus!_"

Even her loud voice could barely be heard over the ruckus.

"CONGRATULATIONS SLYTHERIN! NOW EVERYBODY, PLEASE RETURN TO THE CASTLE IN A TIMELY MANOR."

"Well, that was a great game," Roxanne said. "Especially the ending. For a moment there I actually thought that James had it. I am really happy that Laura pulled through for them."

We walked towards the locker rooms. Scorpius and Michael were already outside, waiting for us. Scorpius was raving about his team.

Roxanne ran up to Michael. He picked her up and spun her in a circle, while she planted a kiss on his lips. Lily turned the classic Weasley red. She mumbled something about going to find her brother, as dashed away as fast as she could.

I walked up to Scorpius and gave him a gigantic hug. "Congratulations! The Quidditch Cup. That's something," I whispered in his ear.

Somebody cleared their throat, and I pulled away to find Bradley glaring at Scorpius. I felt the blush flood my cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry Davis. Does this make you uncomfortable?" Scorpius taunted before pulling me even tighter up against him.

I hit him before wiggling out of his grasp and running to Bradley. "I am so sorry you guys didn't win," I said, softly.

"Doesn't look like it," he grumbled back at me.

"Hey, be nice or you aren't getting any kisses," I replied, fake-sternly.

"Come here," he said, melting before pulling me into a hug. He planted a soft kiss on my lips. I pulled away first, and smiled big at him.

"Come on, Rose!" Scorpius then called from a couple of feet away. "We're heading to the after party!"

Michael, Roxanne, and he were all waiting for me.

"You are not going, right?" Bradley then asked.

"Um, I was thinking about it," I replied, averting my eyes.

"Rose, I just lost. You are not allowed to leave me to go to the victory party," he said, a bit icily.

The rebellious side of me decided to make an appearance at this time. I didn't like it when people thought they could tell me what to do. "I am not allowed? Bradley, I have barely seen my friends for the past couple of weeks, because I have been spending every waking moment with you," I replied.

"As you should be," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I am not saying that it is a bad thing. I am just saying that tonight I am going to hang with my friends for a couple of hours. I can meet up with you later tonight if you want me to."

I then placed another quick kiss on his lips and walked towards my friends before he could argue back. I wasn't going to pass up a good party just because my boyfriend was moping about his loss.

When the four of us walked into the Slytherin common room, the party was already started. There was music blasting, the center of the room was cleared to make space for a dance floor, and somehow somebody smuggled in some fire whiskey. I knew almost instantly that this was going to be the party of the year. And I have been to quite a few good parties this year, already.

"Let's go dance," Roxanne said, pulling Michael towards the dance floor.

"I am going to grab a drink. Do you want one?" Scorpius then asked me.

"Yeah," I replied.

He walked over to the drink table, grabbed two fire whiskeys, and then made his way back to me. He handed me the ice cold drink with a smile. "You are the most fun person ever when you are drunk, do you know that?" he told me.

"So I have been told," I replied, taking a swig of my drink. It burned as the liquid ran down my throat.

After a couple more sips, Scorpius and I were both talking a bit looser. "So what are you dating that prick Davis again?" Scorpius asked me.

I thought about it, but at the moment I couldn't think of a good reason why I was dating him. He was acting kind of dramatic this afternoon when he told that I wasn't allowed to come to this party. I think I was supposed to go meet him after it. _Oh well_, I thought. _He could live with one night without me._

"Where are Michael and Roxanne?" I then asked, changing the topic.

Scorpius gestured to a couple glued at the mouth sitting on a couch across the room. I saw them and thought of a brilliant idea. "Scorpius! Go get some peanuts!" I demanded.

"Why?" he asked, giving me a confused look.

"Just do what I say!" I exclaimed.

"Alright, alright. No need to shout," he said, stalking away to go get the peanuts.

"And bring back another round of drinks!" I called after his retreating body.

When he came back with the entire bowl of peanuts, I grinned. I grabbed my drink from him and said, "Excellent. No here's what is going to happen. We are going to hide behind that couch and throw these at Michael and Roxanne. You get a point if you hit either one of them. Five if you get it in her cleavage. Ten if you get it in his pants. And if you somehow manage to get one in either of their mouths, you get fifty points."

A grin grew on his face to match mine. We started tossing peanuts until the two them stopped snogging and started to toss peanuts back at us. We were in a full-blown peanut war.

After a couple more hours, all the people that were still up were Scorpius, Michael, Roxanne, Isobel, and I.

Michael was the only one of us that wasn't completely wasted. I had only seen him with two or three drinks the entire night. He was always the responsible one.

"I have another fun game we are going to play!" Isobel exclaimed.

"I looooove playing games!" Roxanne said, twirling. "How do you play this one?"

"It's called Truth or Dare. Everybody sits in a circle, and we go around asking each other truth or dare. If they choose dare, we have to think of something ridiculous for them to do. If they choose truth, we have to ask them a really embarrassing question," Isobel explained.

"This game sounds like fun! Come on Michael! We all have to sit in a circle," Roxanne then exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him down so that he had to sit next to her.

I giggled, because Michael looked like he was about to cry.

Isobel, Scorpius, and I filled in the rest of the holes in the circle.

"I'll go first!" Isobel declared. "Roxanne! Truth or dare?"

"I dare you to drink this," she said before walking over to the snack table. She crumbled up everything she could get her hands on into a glass of fire whiskey. By the time she was done, it turned a puke green color.

Roxanne casually grabbed the glass from her and downed the entire drink in one sip. "Easy," she said, slamming the glass on the ground.

"Scorpius. Truth or dare?" Roxanne then said.

He thought about it for a couple of seconds before deciding on dare.

"Lay down," she commanded Isobel. She did as she was told.

Roxanne went a grabbed a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. She pulled up Isobel's shirt to just under her boobs, and strategically place a few beans on her stomach and chest. Lastly, she told Isobel to open her mouth. She placed one in her mouth "Don't eat it!" she demanded.

Then she turned and faced Scorpius. "Lick them off."

Scorpius smiled and replied, "Gladly."

He took his time and made a show of licking every single one off. Isobel giggled and complained that he was tickling her. After he was finished, Scorpius turned to me and asked, "Now that I have successfully given Isobel a tongue bath, Rose, truth or dare?"

I chose dare, not wanting to seem like a wimp.

"I dare you to kiss Michael."

Michael and I looked at each other for a moment. Then a second after that Roxanne and I said at the same time, "No way."

"You have to. I dared you to," Scorpius then said, grinning. He was really enjoying this.

"Nope, it's not going to happen."

"How about this," Isobel then said. "You can turn down dares, but you have to drink a glass of fire whiskey after."

This seemed to appease Scorpius, and he filled me a glass.

This continued on for a couple of minutes, with people drinking occasionally. Then Roxanne said to me, "Rose. Truth or dare?"

Roxanne had already gotten Isobel to strip to just her bra and panties, and Scorpius was required to lick a pair of Michael's boxers. I had already downed way too many drinks, so I decided I would go safe with truth.

She grinned. For some reason I got the feeling that she knew that I would choose this. "Which of your two boys would you rather date?"

I gave her a surprised look. I was not expecting her to ask that whatsoever. I never really thought about either of them that way. They were my two best friends, but I had to admit that both of them were hot. They both were super muscled from Quidditch, but that was basically the only similarity between them both.

Michael was really sweet. I know I could rely on him with anything. I go to him first for practically all of my problems. He has a smile that could make a strong witch melt like putty in the middle of his hand.

Scorpius, on the other hand, was more of a partier like me. We always had fun together, and he was super sexy. He was also charming and funny.

It was a very tough decision, but I knew which one I would date if I had to choose.

They all looked at me expectantly. Finally I opened my mouth and told the small group my choice.

* * *

><p><strong>Your welcome for the long chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this one. Especially the part about the peanuts:)<strong>

**Anyways, which boy do you think she chose? **


	12. May 23, 2023

**May 23, 2023:**

"Did you bring the snacks?" Roxanne asked me, as I walked into our dormitory.

"I said I would, didn't I?" I replied, pulling out everything I had raided from the kitchens that night for Roxanne and I's "Girl's Night."

Between our two boyfriends, both of us having school, and me having Quidditch, we have barely had the chance to talk to each other lately. I still did Thursday nights with my boys, much to Bradley's dismay, but Roxanne wasn't really invited. Of course we see each other in the dormitory we share each night, but we are usually so exhausted by that time that we just sleep. So when she started to give me the "latest update" about some Gryffindor fifth year she has apparently been having a feud with for a couple of weeks with, and I didn't even know she was in a feud, we both knew we needed a night for just us.

We have been planning this night for about two weeks now. Neither of us had ever really had a real sleepover before, so we decided to make a whole entire night of cheesy girly things. I was in charge of bringing every single snack known to man, which wasn't that hard, considering the house elves in the kitchens are very accommodating. Roxanne said she would be in charge of everything else.

I took one glance at our room, and my mouth dropped. It was completely transformed into a girl's paradise. Roxanne had somehow managed to move both our bed to the side, and made a giant nest in the middle. There was nail polish in every shade of the rainbow and then some. She had every single magazine any girl could want, including some Muggle ones. The room also smelled like flowers.

"Do you think it's enough? I really wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I just kind of winged it," she then said, looking at her handiwork.

I would never think of doing any of this right off the top of my head. Sometimes I believe that there was some girl switch within me that never got turned on, or I was sick and missed the lesson on how to be a girl. I would never have the instinct to do something this extensive or amazing.

"You don't like it," Roxanne said when I didn't reply. He face fell.

I spun and looked at her. "It's amazing!" I exclaimed. "I am so excited; you won't be able to even begin to comprehend!"

She instantly brightened again. "I am glad you like it."

We both got comfortable in the nest that she made. We gave each other pedicure, while she explained to me her problem with the fifth year.

"Well," she said, dramatically. "She has been spreading rumors about me for weeks now. I know it's her too, because she caught Michael and me in the prefects' bathroom, and then the next day there were a billion rumors of us having a nice shag in the bathroom. I promise you that's not what happened at all."

"Oh, I heard some of those!" I then said, laughing. "I scolded Michael for letting you into the prefects' bathroom. That bathroom isn't really supposed to be used by people other than prefects."

"Oh, don't act all high and mighty," she then said, shoving me lightly.

I laughed and replied, "Hey, it isn't my fault that I am just better than you at everything."

She rolled her eyes, and I laughed some more. Then her brow furrowed and she became very serious. "So you didn't believe them, right?" she then said. "Like you didn't feel the need to ask Michael or anything, right?"

As much as Roxanne acts like what other people say about her doesn't bother her, she does worry a lot about her reputation. She may be a bit of a slut, but she doesn't want people to think that she is so tacky that she would sleep with her boyfriend on the floor of a bathroom.

"Of course I didn't believe any of them! Also from what the other girls were saying, it seemed like they didn't really believe them either. Most of them were just wondering who started the rumor," I reassured her.

"Okay, good."

"Roxanne, do you think you will ever sleep with Michael?" I then said, out of the blue.

She looked down at her freshly painted, blue toenails, and didn't answer me for a second. She started to add another coat as she said, "Honestly, no."

I was actually a bit surprised by this. For some reason I thought she was going to say yes. They seemed pretty legitimate to me. Of course I had my doubts about her before, but my views have changed. She has been with Michael longer than any of her other boyfriends. Michael is good for her. He is so down to earth that he keeps her grounded also.

"Why not? You both seem very happy together," I replied.

She sighed and smiled slightly, before saying, "Yeah, I am happy with Michael. He is sweet, and perfect, and way better than other the other arses that I have dated."

"Then how do you know already that you aren't going to sleep with him?" I asked, confused.

"Do you believe in true love, Rose?" she then asked.

I thought about it for a moment. Did I believe in true love? "Sometimes I do," I finally said, thinking about Theo. "But then again. Sometimes I don't."

"Well, I do. While Michael is sweet and perfect, I know he isn't the one I am supposed to live happily ever after with. I don't want to hurt him or hurt myself by having sex with him, while knowing that we aren't going to last," Roxanne then said, while screwing the top of the nail polish back on.

"Then why are you even still dating him? Why don't you just break up with him?"

She grinned at me and said, "Even though I know all what I said is true, Michael is still really sweet, perfect, and makes me feel special. You don't find a lot of those kinds of guys, especially not at this age. So, for now, I am going to keep him for as long as I can."

"Oh wow, Roxanne," I then said. "I didn't know you were such a romantic."

"Well with so much of me being such a sex kitten, people tend to overlook the gooey part of me," she said with a wink.

"Rawr," I said, clawing at her and laughing at the same time.

"Exactly. Now how about you? Do you think you will go all the way with Bradley?" she said, making a face at his name.

"Why does nobody like him!" I then exclaimed. "It seems like even Albus doesn't like him, and he is Albus' friend!"

"Because he is a real prat and a bad kisser," Roxanne replied.

"You kissed him!" I said turning towards her.

She turned dark red before saying, "Yeah, once during our fourth year. I thought you knew. Now stop changing the subject and answer my question!"

I thought about it for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I think I will one day."

"Seriously!" Roxanne said, sitting up a bit straighter.

"I think so," I said. After she gave me an incredulous look, I added, "No I am being serious here. Even though everybody keeps on telling me that he is a real git, I don't actually believe any of them. He is really sweet to me and a good boyfriend. I haven't felt this way about anyone since Theo left."

"Rose, you barely dated one guy in between Theo and Bradley," she then pointed out.

"I know, but I really do like Bradley. It won't be anytime soon either, but I could see it happening sometime in the future," I said.

"Okay, but please promise me that you will talk to me before you do anything with him," Roxanne then said.

I didn't know what she wanted to talk to me about, and I didn't ask. Something in her eyes made me believe that she wasn't going to tell me before then. So I just agreed.

The rest of the night was much lighter. We ate, talked, and laughed. We listened to music and rated the boys in the magazines she provided. Then we went to sleep, curled up next to each other. It was what I called a successful night.


	13. October 21, 2023

**October 21, 2023:**

I was getting ready for today, feeling very happy. It was my birthday. I had already opened all of the presents that were at the foot of my bed and was wearing a shirt that Roxanne gave me as my present. Today was a Hogsmeade day, and I was on a mission. I needed to buy a new outfit, and with all of my birthday money in my pocket, today seemed like the perfect day to find one.

I walked towards the Great Hall, wanting a slice of toast. I was also going to see if I could get Bradley to go shopping with me today. I found his gift amongst all the others. It was a necklace with a silver heart pendent. It reminded me of the one Theo gave me, but it wasn't nearly as pretty. I was wearing both right now. Michael was right when he told me I would be sorry if I didn't keep it. The next day I was so happy that I had it that I swore I would never take it off again. I have stood true to that promise. Bradley never asked where I got it, and I never told him.

I walked into the Great Hall and instantly found him at the Gryffindor table. He was talking to a sixth year, and the two of them were laughing about something he just said. I sat down next to him, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey babe," he said, turning to face me. "Happy birthday. I see you are wearing my necklace."

"Yes, thanks. I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me today," I then said.

"Sorry, I can't," he replied. "I have Quidditch practice today."

I thought this was kind of strange. Albus usually didn't hold practices on Hogsmeade days. Maybe because they lost last year, he was adding more practices.

"Oh, well will I see you tonight then?" I asked, feeling a tiny but upset.

"Yes, how about we meet before dinner?" he then said, smiling at me.

My spirits lifted a bit. I would get to see him tonight, and I could probably convince Scorpius and Michael to come with me. It was probably better this way. This means I would get to surprise Bradley later on this week.

"Sounds like a plan. I guess I'll see you later then," I said before I leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips.

He said goodbye as I moved to the Slytherin table to find my boys. They were arguing over something when I found them on the end.

"Hello, and what are we arguing about on this fine morning?" I asked, sitting down next to Michael.

They both stared at me for a moment, before Scorpius said, "Who are you, and what having you done with Rose Weasley?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, not to burst you bubble or anything," Michael said, "but you are usually not the most pleasant person to be around in the mornings."

"That's putting it nicely," Scorpius then said, while happily shoving a piece of toast in his mouth. "Usually you range from demon spawn to told zombie apocalypse."

I laughed and said, "Well most days I don't usually have a reason to be so perky before breakfast, but today is a special day!"

"Today's special? Did you know that Michael?" Scorpius then said, shoving another piece of toast into his mouth.

"No, I did not," Michael replied, reaching for his own piece of toast. "And why is today special, Rose?"

I shoved Michael lightly. "Stop messing with me, or I will be forced to bite your heads off," I said, seeing through their façade.

They both laughed, and Michael said, "Don't you think that is a bit violent for someone who is a birthday girl today?"

"Nope," I replied with a grin. "I can do anything I want because it's my birthday, and everybody all just has to suck it up. Like right now, when I force you guys to come shopping with me."

Scorpius sarcastically laughed before saying, "That's a good one, Rose."

"Please," I said, giving him the puppy dog look. That was still his personal weakness.

"Fine," he said, frowning a bit. Success once again. That technique has gotten a lot out of Scorpius over the years.

I smiled and looked at Michael. "Sure," he said.

We left the table, and started walking towards Hogsmeade. I was practically skipping, I was so happy.

We entered the first clothing store I could find. I frowned at all the bright colors, not knowing where I should start. All of a sudden I felt I needed Roxanne's help more than anything else, but I couldn't ask Roxanne to come. One, I didn't know where she was, and two, she mentioned something to me last night about meeting up with a guy today.

Roxanne was right when she said that Michael and she wouldn't last. About two and a half weeks after our girl's night Michael started hanging out with Scorpius and I more often than usual. Then a couple of days later he made a comment about wanting to break up with Roxanne. Then a month after that, he finally got the guts to do it. I reassured to him that she would understand, and she did. Michael actually said it was one of the easiest breakups he had ever endured.

"Why do you even need a new dress, Rose?" Scorpius asked me, as I started browsing through the racks.

I pretended to not hear him, not wanting to disclose that information to him.

I grabbed a couple of women's dress robes off the shelves and ran towards the back of the store where the dressing rooms were located. I tried on the first one. It was a bright orange color. I immediately took it off. It was way too obnoxious for my liking. The next one was hot pink. I put it on and again was instantly horrified. It looked like a flamingo threw up all over me. I quickly took it off and put on an emerald green one. I looked nice in it, but I wanted to get a second opinion before buying it.

"How do I look?" I asked, stepping out of the changing booth.

"It looks nice," Michael said, politely.

"If you wanted to buy a dress for my Christmas Eve party, Rose, you could have waited a little bit longer. You have months to look, and you wouldn't have had to drag me and Michael with you," Scorpius merely said.

At first I sent him a confused look, but then I caught on to what he was saying. The green dress and my red hair made me look like Christmas. I immediately ran back into the dressing room. That was definitely not the look I was going for.

I quickly ran back into the dressing room to try on the last dress. It was a dark blue dress that was shorter than I was used to. It was plain except for a long line of buttons down the back. It felt nice against my skin when I put it on. After buttoning up the back with a lot of trouble, I almost instantly knew this was the dress. It made my legs look long and sexy, my hair looked less like it was on fire, and my usually lightly colored eyes were three shades darker.

I walked out of the dressing room. Scorpius and Michael were facing away from me, talking about Quidditch. I cleared my throat, and they both turned around.

Scorpius smiled and said, "Wow, Rose. That dress makes you look hot!"

Michael just looked dumbstruck.

I smiled. This is the exact reaction that I wanted to get.

"What are you even buying a dress for, Rose?" Scorpius then said.

I blushed a bit, before saying, "Just a night with Bradley."

Michael seemed to come out of the daze he was in. Scorpius' face dropped. Both of them glance at each other before saying, "No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" I replied.

"We mean we don't want you looking like that within a ten mile radius of that prat," Michael said.

I rolled my eyes at them before walking back into the dressing room. I got changed then went to go pay for my dress.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, I thought we decided that wearing that dress near your git of a boyfriend was a bad idea," Scorpius added.

I ignored his insult and merely replied, "No, you guys stated that you did not want me to, and though that is a nice opinion, I don't really care. You both said I looked good in it, and I felt good in it. Since neither of you are my mother, and I am the one with the money, I think I am going to buy it."

"Calm down, Rose," Michael said. "We were just looking out for your best interest."

"Really? Is attacking my boyfriend every chance you get in my best interest? I have been trying my best to get you guys to just be nice to each other. Not even that. I just don't want you to blatantly rude. It's really actually quite frustrating."

"Fine, Rose. You win, but we are definitely going to say we told you so when the time comes," Scorpius shouted towards me, as I walked to go buy the dress.

_Yeah right,_ I thought to myself.


	14. October 27, 2023

**October 27, 2023:**

It was one week after I bought my dress. I knew it would serve the purpose that I intended for it. I tried it on again in the middle of the week to make sure that I still liked it, and it looked even better the second time around.

Tonight was the night. I was sure about that. I was ready.

I had my dress on, and I did my hair about ten times before I was content. I felt beautiful and amazing.

I thought about going to talk to Roxanne like I told her that I would last year, but for some reason I didn't want to. I felt like she would try to talk me out of it, and I didn't think I had enough nerve to resist her.

I walked down the hallways with a purpose. The school was practically empty, due to the fact that the Slytherin-Hufflepuff Quidditch game was taking a lot longer than anyone expected. It was in the running for the longest Quidditch game in Hogwarts history, if it lasted about two more hours.

I watched my boys earlier with Bradley, but he said that he had to go study for a big Potions test we were going to have on Monday after a couple of hours. This was going almost too perfectly. That meant he would be in his dormitory all by himself, plus there was nobody roaming around the hallways to wonder why I was dressed so nicely.

I got to the Fat Lady guarding the Gryffindor common room. I smiled to myself and said, "Acromantula." Sometimes being the Head Girl had its perks.

The painting swung open easily, and I crawled in. The room was decorated in crimson and gold. There was a warm fire glowing in the corner, a couple of books scattered across the tables, and random clutter occupying the room. It felt lived-in and homey.

I walked up the steps to the seventh year boys' dormitory. I put my hand on the doorknob, hearing a slight rustle and I giggle on the other side. I turned it, feeling my stomach drop, somehow knowing what was coming next. I pushed the door open, and saw Bradley with his hands on Megan Wolfe. They were snogging.

They both looked up at me, neither saying anything. They didn't move; even to just take their hands off each other. We all just stared at each other for a moment, letting the ice settle. I was the first to break the moment, by turning and walking away from the door. Bradley didn't chase after me.

I walked out of the common room and into the hallway. It was filled with Gryffindor kids now. The game must have ended, and most of them must have wanted to go bed. A couple of them tried talking to me, but I just pushed through them and walked towards the Quidditch pitch.

I literally ran into Michael on my way to the Slytherin changing room. He was walking out the door, as I was trying to walk in. Relief flooded through me as I finally found the person I was looking for, then sadness. The numbness I was feeling was now gone, and the realization about what had just happened hit me full force.

All of a sudden, I felt wetness on my cheeks. I looked up expecting rain, but instead I realized that I was crying.

"Rose? Are you alright?" Michael asked, pulling me into a hug.

"Where's Scorpius?" I replied through my tears.

"He's just in there, reviewing the plays of the day. He is trying to figure out why it took us so long to win today. Come on. Let's go onto the field."

He pulled me towards the pitch, as silent tears continued to stream down my face. We made it to the center when he sat down on the grass and pulled me into his lap. I just rested my head against his warm, strong chest and cried for a moment. It felt good.

"What happened?"

"Bradley is an arse," I replied.

"How so?"

"I found him with Megan Wolfe just now. I guess it is pretty evident that we aren't together anymore. God, he is such a prat!"

I could feel him biting back a comment. "Say it. I deserve it," I then said.

"No, I'm not going to say it."

"Then I'll say it for you. You told me so."

"Yeah, all of us kind of did."

I sighed. "I know you all did, and to tell you the truth, I think I knew he was one also.

"Then why did you even date him," he then asked.

"I'm not really sure. He just made me feel good about myself. I felt prettier near him, I guess. I liked the idea of having a boyfriend, and I missed being with someone who liked me for me. Too bad I misjudged him."

"Rose, can I tell you something without you getting upset?"

I nodded, curious as to how he could upset me anymore than this.

"Scorpius, Roxanne, and I have heard things about Bradley. We don't think this was the first time he cheated on you. We were trying to find out for sure, but we didn't find any definite answers or we would have told you. Plus, since you really seemed to like him, and you weren't doing anything bad, we thought you were okay for the time being. We just didn't want you to get hurt, but obviously you did. We should have told you when we first started hearing rumors about him, though."

For some reason I didn't get mad about this. They were looking out for my best interest, just like they tried to me last week. Maybe that's why Roxanne wanted me to talk to her before I did anything with Bradley. She was probably going to tell me about their suspicions, so I wouldn't so anything stupid. I looked up at the billions of stars in the sky and gave a silent prayer of thanks that I found out before I slept with him.

"It's alright, Michael. You are way too sweet, for your own good. You know that, right?"

He just chuckled.

We sat there in silence for a bit longer before I said, "You know, I don't even think I am sad that we didn't work out. It's funny how a couple of hours ago I thought I was falling in love with him, and now I realize I was nowhere even near there. I am angrier that I got cheated on than anything."

"That's good. I didn't want you up on some git like that. He is not worth your time or effort."

"You are so right."

"We should probably get going. We are already going to be in a lot of trouble for being out this late, and it's going to be even worse because we are the Head Boy and Girl. I can almost hear Professor McGonagall. 'You two are supposed to be setting an example. Staying out of the castle after hours is unacceptable. Detention for the rest of your life!'" Michael then said, perfectly imitating the headmistress' voice.

I laughed and helped him up. We walked back to the castle next to each other.

Rowenen Boggs, the caretaker, was waiting for us at the door. He looked ancient and menacing. "The headmistress is waiting for you two in her office."

Michael and I looked at each other. It looked like his prediction was going to come true. This was not looking good.

Boggs led us to the stone gargoyle that hid the stairway to Professor McGonagall's office. "Babbling band of baboons," Boggs said. The gargoyle jumped aside, revealing a winding staircase.

I could count on one hand how many times I have been in this office, and I have never been in it because I was in trouble. I took a deep breath, trying not to completely fall apart because of the shame. Tonight was not my night.

"Wait outside the door," Boggs commanded, as Michael and I began climbing up the first couple of steps. About halfway up, we found Scorpius coming down the staircase.

"Scorpius! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed.

"I just got in trouble, no big deal," he said.

"What did you do this time?" Michael then said.

Scorpius' pale skin seemed to turn the slightest shade of pink before he said, "Well, talk about Bradley snogging Megan, and you storming out of the Gryffindor common room got out pretty fast. When I heard, I basically found that sick excuse of a person and cursed him."

I smiled, thinking how fitting it was. Michael would let me rant to him and make me feel better, while Scorpius would go and beat up anything that hurt me. I threw my arms around the both of them, pulling them into a group hug.

"What was that for?" Michael asked, after the three of us pulled away.

"You guys are just too perfect. Now let's go upstairs before we get into more trouble than we are already in."

"Good luck," Scorpius said, as Michael and I proceeded upstairs.

I didn't even care that I got cheated on, and that I was about to get detentions "for the rest of my life." I had the two best friends into entire world.


	15. November 4, 2023

**November 4, 2023: **

I was out partying, which is what I really needed. I had a long week. It seemed like every single teacher has been loading me with homework, trying to prepare us for our NEWTs at the end of the year. I have been working over time, studying and doing homework longer than usual. I feel very confident about this year, but I still wanted to be on top. Plus this year determined what I was going to do with the rest of my life. It was very important to me.

Then on top of all that, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, seems to want to know about what happened between Bradley and I. There were rumors ranging from the bearable, like Bradley broke up with me because he wanted to date Megan, to the outrageous, like Scorpius and I were secretly dating, and Bradley was just a cover up. Then Scorpius couldn't stand not being public with me anymore, so he attacked Bradley.

I have been bombarded with questions the entire week about what did Bradley do to me, and if I was really dating Scorpius. I didn't even understand why they actually believed that I could be dating Scorpius. Sure we spend a lot of time together, but that was just strictly because we were best friends. Nobody has ever questioned it before.

Sometimes it frustrates me. My parents had to worry about not being killed by a mass murderer before they could even think about getting together, while all kids today have to worry about is the drama surrounding a breakup.

So just going and partying felt good for me. I love to dance. Feeling the music overcome me. Just letting go. It was the perfect stress relief.

I was walking to the Room of Requirement, the place where the party was being hosted, thinking about how much I needed this night. I told Scorpius and Michael that I would meet them there. Michael was trying to hook up with a Slytherin sixth year, Scorpius just wanted to go party and probably snog one or two girls, and I apparently was taking too much time getting ready.

I walked in and smiled at the crowd. There was a Weird Sisters song from the time of my parents playing. The room was packed, but there was still enough space so that it didn't feel claustrophobic. I could smell alcohol and butterbeer in the air.

Suddenly I felt a change in the atmosphere. Everyone near me kept glancing in my direction and whispering to their neighbors. I frowned, moving into the crowd. I was probably imagining things. Then it was like the entire group parted for my benefit. Then I saw what they were all whispering about. Bradley and Megan were on the couch towards the back of the room, thrashing around like eels. I looked pathetic all by myself, while they were seemingly having a good time.

I shoved my way through the crowd, looking for Michael. He would know what to do.

"Rose!" I heard my name being shouted at. I turned to find Scorpius chasing after me.

"Where's Michael?" I shouted back at him, as he tried to maneuver himself in between the crowd towards my direction.

"He is currently unavailable," he said, gesturing over his shoulder to another couple that was snogging against a wall. Wow, I knew Michael was good, but I didn't know he could work _that_ fast. "I think it is safe to assume that you have seen your charming ex-boyfriend sucking off the face of his lovely twit."

I smiled at his sarcasm and nodded.

"Yeah, I was trying to find you before you did. I guess I kind of failed at that a bit," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

It was kind of cute. "It's alright. I just really wanted to talk to Michael about it."

"Rose, why don't you ever come to me for advice?" Scorpius then whined.

I laughed before saying, "Because unlike Michael, you are just as bad at making life decisions as I am."

"I bet you I could fix this problem easily," he replied.

"Sure, you could Scorpius."

"Is that a challenge, I hear?"

I rolled my eyes, and said, "If you really want to."

"Okay then. I think you should kiss me," he then said, nonchalantly.

I was dumbstruck was a second. Kiss him? That didn't even make any sense. We were just friends, weren't we?

Sensing my confusion, he then explained, "We both know there have been a massive amount of rumors about you and me going around this past week. The only problem is that Bradley doesn't think that they are true. He thinks that he was the only one that cheated. You need him to believe that the rumors are true so that he believes that you also cheated on him, or are at least not upset about breaking up with him. So you need to kiss me."

I thought about it for a moment. Scorpius was going for a revenge approach, which is way different from the advice Michael would give me. He would probably tell me to leave so that I wouldn't walk straight into another mess. I could almost hear him say, "Rose, you need to let all of this blow over. Just go back to your dormitory, and people will forget about it by the end of the night." For some reason this didn't satisfy me, though. I didn't want people to think that any boy could just walk right over me. Kissing Scorpius would give me an edge; make people believe that I wasn't just some scorned girlfriend. It was perfect.

I leaned in and started snogging Scorpius. I momentarily had a flashback to that time during our fourth year, when I asked Scorpius to teach me how to snog. I melted exactly like that time. It was funny to think about the different circumstances that lead me to kissing Scorpius.

I felt my knees go weak for a moment. Scorpius really was good at kissing. I remembered him being good, but he was even better than good now. He pulled back after a couple of seconds, and I frowned as I looked into his liquid silver eyes. He leaned in a whispered in my ear, "Not here. They can't see us here."

I had almost forgotten the reason why we were snogging in the first place. It didn't even really matter to me that much anymore. I just wanted to kiss Scorpius again.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a la-z-boy chair directly across from the couch that Bradley and Megan were occupying. He sat down and pulled me on to his lap. We started snogging again. One of his hands smoothly traced down the side of my body and stopped on my thigh, while the other tangled itself in my hair. I felt a shiver run up my spine.

He opened his mouth, and I responded by doing the same. His tongue swept my mouth as if he owned it. I resisted the urge to moan. I didn't want Scorpius to know how much I was actually enjoying this. He then moved his mouth to my ear. A rebellious giggle escaped my lips. He pulled back, still only inches from my face, and cocked an eyebrow. I merely shrugged in reply. That was my weak spot. Theo was my only boyfriend to find that out.

He moved back to my ear. His hand moved from my thigh to my waist, pulling me closer to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Michael. He was still with his girl, but they weren't snogging anymore. He was looking at Scorpius and I. He didn't look too happy, but at the moment I didn't care. I was just going to have to ask him about it later.

I pulled Scorpius back up to my lips. I ran a hand through his long, blonde locks. He moved his hand from my waist, trailing the tips of his fingers on the bare skin that was poking out from under my shirt. I started giggling again. Scorpius knows I am super ticklish.

"That wasn't very nice," I said, flirtatiously.

Scorpius smirked at me for a moment. It fell into a hard glare, as I felt a presence come up from behind me.

"What's going on here?" I heard a smooth voice say. Bradley.

I turned to find him standing a little too close to me for comfort. Megan was standing a bit behind him, looking bored. I didn't like the way he was looming over Scorpius and me, and I felt the slight urge to stand up. I resisted it, because I didn't want to move from Scorpius' arms.

"Obviously nothing involving you," I heard Scorpius reply replicating his tone of voice.

"Well, it kind of does, considering that is _my _girlfriend that you are snogging."

I was completely enraged by this comment. Megan didn't seem to like it too much either. I was _his _girlfriend now just because I was kissing another guy. I couldn't even believe he had the nerve to say something like that after all he had done. He was mental for even thinking that I would even consider staying with him.

"Excuse you, but I am not your girlfriend, or your friend, or anything to you. If it wasn't clear to you that we are over by the fact that you were eating the face off another girl a second ago, or by my current position, then let me make it crystal clear to you right now. We are not dating now or ever again. I never want to talk to you or even see you in my line of sight," I practically screamed at him as I stood up. Scorpius stood up behind me and wrapped both his arms around my waist, as if to protect me.

"I guess you just found out why she always liked hanging out with me more than you," Scorpius then said, the smirk back on his face.

"Why you little bit—"

"Do we have a problem here?" Michael then said, walking up with his girl. I now noticed that there were quite a few people surrounding us, trying to figure out what was happening.

Bradley assessed the situation for a moment. It was Michael and Scorpius against just him. Even though he was very strong, Michael and Scorpius were just as muscled. The odds were not in his favor, and I knew Bradley. He would never start something unless he was sure he could win. Especially if there were people watching.

"No," he replied, calm again. "We were just leaving."

He then grabbed Megan's hand and dragged her out the room. Everybody went back to what they were doing before.

I wanted to also go back to what I was doing before, but since Bradley was now gone, there was no reason to. I was kind of upset about this. Scorpius then surprised me pulling back down on top of him in the chair, saying, "Now, where were we?"

Michael then shot me a glance. I sent him back a look that hopefully said, _I will explain later_. It didn't seem to appease him, but he didn't ask any questions.

"I think we were about here," I replied, before pulling him back in. Neither of us let go for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! Not going to lie, I think I have fallen in love with this chapter.<strong> **The story is still far from over though. Of course, Rose has to go through a couple more twists and turns before she can live happily ever after. Every princess does. **

**Anyways, tell me what you think:) **


	16. November 5, 2023

**November 5, 2023:**

I woke up in my bed feeling like someone dropped a rock on my chest. My head was pounding, and I was clammy all over. The comforter on my blanket was too warm, and it was basically suffocating me. I couldn't make myself move from my bed, though. I felt like I was hung over.

I tried to recall the previous night instead. As I thought about it, instantly the grogginess that seemed to cover my entire mind disappeared. I snogged Scorpius last night. A lot. Way more than a lot. Too much. I know it started out as a revenge plan, but then it continued way after that. This was bad. Horrible even.

I tried to calm myself down by telling me that it was probably all the fire whiskey I drank the previous night that caused me to snog Scorpius. It was also the reason why I felt so terrible this morning. I didn't have any actual feelings for him, right? I couldn't. He is my best friend. Our relationship is strictly platonic, and that was just some platonic, drunk kissing. Then another thought ran through my head that basically made ice flow through my veins. _I didn't have any fire whiskey last night. I started snogging Scorpius before I could get a drink, and I didn't stop for the rest of the night. _

Then I felt like I was going to throw up, because I liked snogging Scorpius. It was the most fun I had in a really long time, and it felt right. None of my other boyfriends brought butterflies to my stomach, except for Theo, but that was after a couple of months of us dating. Scorpius gave me butterflies after just one night. I groaned.

Scorpius would never like me back, I knew that already. At least not in the way I would like him to. He is charming, funny, and extremely attractive. He can date basically any girl he wants and has used this ability to its fullest potential by dating a lot of the seventh year girls and even a couple of sixth years. Then he has quite a few hookups scattered in between.

In all of the years I have known him, he has never shown any type of interest in me. He doesn't make me melt in the palm of his hand every day or make me feel like I am the only one that matters to him like he doesn't with all of his other girls when they are in the pre-dating stage. Of course we flirt with each other, but he flirts with everybody. He is the guy version of Roxanne.

Then I felt my stomach do another flip. I snogged _Scorpius Malfoy. _The boy who won't let me live down a small kiss during Spin-the-Bottle during second year, or the fact that I practically begged him to teach me how to kiss. How was I ever going to live this one down? He knew I was sober. He knew I agreed to it. Hell, he probably just thought it was just another hookup between friends. He is probably downstairs eating breakfast, thinking the entire situation was no big deal, while I am hiding in my bedroom, trying to gather my thoughts. Boys are stupid.

When I finally successfully calmed myself down, I decided that I was just going to go on like last night never happened. I am completely rid of Bradley, so my life should just go back to normal. If Scorpius starts to be a jerk about it all I will just remind him of whose idea it was.

I got dressed. I put a little more effort into my appearance that morning than I usually did. I actually tried to put on makeup and make it look nice. I chose an outfit that made my legs look long and my eyes spark. I took the time to make sure my curls were making me look like I had an afro. I wasn't sure if spending all that time on the way I looked had to do with procrastinating the moment when I would have to face Scorpius, or so that I would look sexy when I did see him. I was hoping it was the first one.

I walked to the Great Hall, trying to stay calm. As I walked in, all the eyes turned to me. Many seventh years, and even some sixth and fifth years, turned to their neighbors and started to whisper. I felt the blush grow on my cheeks. Thankfully neither Scorpius nor Bradley was in the room. That would just be a disaster waiting to happen. Though Michael was frowning from across the room. He was probably not happy either.

Anne Redwood was the first person brave enough to come up to me. "So, Rosie," she said, as the hairs rose on the back of my neck. I couldn't stand Anne. She was so condescending and rude. "I think it was safe to say that you have a lovely night last night. So does that mean that our saint Head Girl was actually a tiny bit bad and cheated on Davis that entire time?"

Sometimes she just made me want to wring her neck.

"I'm sorry," I said, imitating her sickly sweet tone of voice, "but I believe that isn't any of your business."

"I guess you are a bit right. I just wanted to make sure that you knew you were his sloppy seconds last night," she then whispered in my ear.

I knew she was leading me into a trap, but I couldn't resist. "What do you mean," I asked skeptically.

"Scorpius and I have been snogging regularly for the past couple of weeks. In fact, we had already snogged before you even arrived last night," she said, before walking away.

I rushed towards Michael so that I could talk to him about last night and what I just learned, but I found Scorpius sitting across from him already. He was looking as perfect as ever. We made eye contact for a second, he silver eyes glistening, before I turned my head away. I was going to leave the Great Hall completely, but Michael waved me over.

I tried to use our little mind reader abilities to get him to understand that I didn't want to be around Scorpius at the moment. He just played the clueless card and responded by yelling, "Rose! Come sit down for a second."

I rolled my eyes and walked a little closer to the Slytherin table. Scorpius all of a sudden seemed very interested with his toast. "I'm actually not that hungry, and I have a test next period, so I'm jus—" I started but was interrupted by my stomach growling.

"No excuses, Rose," Michael then said sternly. "You are sitting down, and you are both going to explain to me what happened last night."

I sat down, avoiding looking at Scorpius, and put a piece of toast on my plate. I started picking at it. Michael was waiting for us to explain. Scorpius and I didn't say anything.

This was actually a bit of a surprise for me. I thought Scorpius would have made at least ten jokes even before I sat down, but he hasn't said a word to me all morning. This was definitely not typical Scorpius behavior.

"Okay, since neither of you are talking, let me start off by telling you that you are both complete idiots."

He could say that again.

"What even brought all that along?" he then continued.

"I wanted to get revenge on Bradley," I mumbled.

"I gathered that much. I meant after he left. Why were you two still eating each other's faces off?"

I looked at Scorpius. I was curious to hear this answer too. He looked at me, maybe searching for an answer also.

"You guys are going to have to talk about this. I refuse to eat silent breakfasts with the both of you every day until we graduate!" Michael exclaimed.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" Scorpius then asked. He was still looking straight at me.

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I replied, "Yes."

Michael stayed at the Slytherin table as we left, knowing that this conversation wasn't for him.

We walked until we found a private place behind a tapestry. It was really tight though. Scorpius' muscled chest was merely inches away from me. I wanted to reach out and touch, just to make sure they were real.

"Michael is right. We do need to talk about last night," he said.

"Michael tends to be right about a lot of thing," I merely replied.

"Rose, I promise I didn't go to that party with the intention of getting you to snog me the entire night. We are friends and only friends. It was cruel of me to even suggest something like that."

"But it did happen. When I went to bed last night, I thought we would just wake up in the morning and forget about it. It was a kiss between friends. We've had a couple of those throughout the years. No big deal. But then I woke up this morning, thinking about how much I enjoyed myself last night. How much I enjoy you. How perfect you are," I rambled, my words jumbling together a bit.

Did I just actually say that?

"Then this morning Anne told me that you two have been snogging for a couple of weeks. This, by the way, is ridiculous, considering you know I hate her. And Michael is being all 'Golden Boy-esk,'" I then rambled on, trying to cover up my first comments.

"Wait, Anne told you about that?"

My gaze dropped to the floor.

He laughed and said, "Rose, you know me. I snog at least three different girls a week. She's really not that big of a deal."

I started to walk out of the tight space, but he grabbed my wrist as I tried to flee. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he was way too strong for his own good. Sometimes I hate Scorpius Malfoy.

"What's your problem? I am trying to tell you something good, and you go storming out of here," he then yelled at me, incredulously.

I rolled my eyes at him, before yelling back, "Good? I basically tell you that I found out this morning that I fancied you, and you reply by telling me that you snog girls for no reason, and that you don't really care. How is that good?"

"That wasn't the point of that story?"

"Then what was the point of that story?"

"I was going to say that Anne didn't matter to me, but obviously you do. I wasn't going to lose my best friend over some stupid plan I made last night, and I wanted to apologize for my behavior. Then you come in here talking about how you fancy me, and I realize I am not sorry. I am not sorry I kissed you last night, and, in fact, I plan on kissing you a lot more in the near future. Starting now," he said, before leaning in.

I only had a moment to process it all before I felt his lips on my own.

I took all of my willpower to pull back. I needed to make things clear, because this was obviously not a kiss between friends anymore. This was real.

"Wait, Scorpius. We are being serious here, right?"

"Rosie Posie, do you need me to ask you formally to convince you that I am being one hundred percent serious?"

"That would be appreciated."

"Well then. Rose Weasley, will you make me a slightly more decent person by replacing all of my current snogging partners?"

I hit him before saying, "Of course."

Then he kissed me again.


	17. December 24, 2023

**December 24, 2023:**

I rummaged through all of my drawers and my entire closet looking for something decent to wear. There were shirts, skirts, pants, shorts, and a thousand other articles of clothing strewn across every single inch of previously open space in my room. We were supposed to be leaving for the Christmas Eve party in half an hour, and I was still frantically getting ready. Ironically, I was wishing for that green dress I tried on when I went shopping with my boys on my birthday.

It was actually terrible. I have so much clothing, and yet I still couldn't find anything appropriate to wear tonight. This was one of those moments that I was thankful that this was one of the biggest problems in my life, not battling it out with some pure-blood obsessed psycho.

I had just finished screaming because I had just finished searching through my last drawer and came up empty, when my mother walked in. "Rose?" she said. "I just came in to tell you that we are leaving soon and to see if you are ready."

"Mom!" I whined. "I have nothing to wear!"

"Your room tells me differently," she replied. She waved her wand momentarily, and then all of my clothes either refolded themselves or rehung themselves, and then made their way back to where they belonged. I love magic.

"Mom, this is the one night of the year that I actually get to dress up and look pretty. Scorpius will be there, and I just want to look perfect."

When I told my parents that I was dating Scorpius Malfoy, my father went ballistic. He ranted about how he told me not to get too friendly with him, and that he could barely stand the fact that I was even friends with him.

My mother, on the other hand, congratulated me and told me that Scorpius was a catch. She calmed my father down, and all he does is grumble quietly to himself whenever Scorpius s mentioned. I knew she my mother would understand why tonight was such big deal to me.

"I know just what you need," she said, leaving my room. She came back with a beautiful blue dress that was exactly what I was looking for.

"Mom, it's gorgeous! Where did you get it?" I asked.

"I wore it when I was younger. I swear that seeing me in this dress is what made your father start to fancy me, though he denies it. Anyways, hopefully it should bring some good luck to you and your boyfriend, thought I don't think you will need and luck. It may be too small, because I wore it when I was a bit younger than you, but we can fix that.

After making a couple of alterations, the dress fit me perfectly. I spun in a circle, letting the soft silk flow around me.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around her.

My mother then helped me do my hair and makeup. Finally we made it downstairs into the living room where Hugo and my father were waiting. "You are late," my father reprimanded.

I glanced at the clock. We should have left an hour ago.

"Your daughter was having a crisis," my mother said, winking at me.

"Oh, so she can make us an hour late and everything is alright, but if I make us even thirty seconds late the world is ending?" he then asked.

"Precisely," she replied, before kissing him lightly.

We apparated to Malfoy Manor and walked inside. The room was packed with people, per usual. My family and I said hello to all the important people, including the Potters. I would scan the room for my boys out of the corner of my eye, while I talked to everyone.

I had just excused myself from Professor Longbottom, when I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist, and someone whispered in my ear, "May I have this dance?"

I was expecting to find Scorpius, but it was Michael instead. I felt my face fall for a moment, but tried to cover it up by saying, "Of course!"

He didn't fall for it. "You were looking for the boyfriend, weren't you? Never have I ever felt more like a third wheel."

I laughed and smacked him lightly. Then we began to dance. "So where is the boyfriend?" I asked.

"He's with his father. Apparently he is discussing some important business deal or something along those lines and wanted Scorpius to be there to observe. He is training him to take over the family business." Michael replied as we twirled across the dance floor.

"And how did Scorpius like that?" I replied, already knowing the answer.

"Scorpius said something along the lines of he would rather gouge his eyes out with a spoon."

"Lovely."

"You took off your necklace," Michael then noticed.

"Yeah," I said, bringing me hand to my chest where Theo's necklace used to constantly lay. I decided as I was getting ready today that I didn't feel like wearing it anymore. It was the first time I had taken it off in almost two years.

He frowned for a moment. "Well I guess that's good. Things must definitely be going well between you and Scorpius."

I was confused as to what he meant. "I guess, but what does that have to do with my necklace?"

He merely shrugged and then winked at me.

We talked for a bit longer as we danced. It was another hour before the doors at the top of the grand staircase opened to reveal Scorpius, his father, and two other important looking men. Scorpius' eyes scanned the room before they stopped on me. I lost myself in the silver. They stayed on me the entire way down the staircase and as he made his way through the crowd towards Michael and I.

Michael squeezed me a bit tighter before releasing me. I ran to Scorpius and wrapped my arms around his neck, before kissing him. We stood like that until Michael cleared his throat, and then Scorpius pulled away.

"Wow, Rose. You look absolutely beautiful," he whispered in my ear.

I blushed and replied, "Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself."

He laughed and then said, "If I knew I would get a hello like that from you, then I would have stayed in there a bit longer."

The three of us talked about everything from our breaks to our last semester a Hogwarts. Lily, Albus, and his girlfriend joined us after they were done with family stuff. We laughed as we retold old stories from when we were younger.

"You know, I think that eating contest we had our first year was the dumbest thing I have ever done," Michael then said.

I laughed remembering that day.

"Yeah," Scorpius replied. "I felt sick for the entire rest of break after that."

"You guys are just sore losers."

We laughed some more and drank a couple of glasses of champagne. It was kind of late when Scorpius asked me to dance in a similar fashion as Albus.

Honestly, Scorpius wasn't that good of a dancer, or maybe it was just the fact that Michael was so good at it. Michael needed to stop being so perfect, because it just makes all the people around him look dumb.

"Rose, I hope you realize that that dress makes me want to have my way with you right now," he then whispered.

I giggle and replied, "Scorpius, you have such a bad mind."

"Don't try to deny it. It definitely turns you on."

I laughed some more.

"I love you, Rose," he then said.

I stopped for a moment. We have exchanged these same words thousands of times, but I knew he meant it differently. Of course, I loved him. I loved both him and Michael. They were my best friends. This was obviously not that kind of love though.

I had a short panic attack. I needed to say something soon, or Scorpius was going to think that he fried my brains or something. Was I in love with Scorpius? Somehow my thoughts were directs to my necklace that I took off today. _Things must definitely be going well between you and Scorpius. _

Then it hit me. I took off that necklace after wearing it every day since Theo left. Theo was the only boyfriend I have ever had that I can say I loved. I thought I loved Bradley, but in the end, I was more upset about all the rumors and the fact that he cheated me than us breaking up. Plus I never had taken off Theo's necklace in the entire time I had been dating him. On the other hand, I was completely crushed when Theo moved away. I didn't even think about dating another guy for months after that. He was my first love.

The only reason why I would take off the necklace that he gave me was if I fell in love with another guy. I wouldn't want to wear a necklace given to me from a previous boyfriend, if I was in love with my current one.

I smiled at Scorpius and said, "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who is reading my story. I really appreciate it! <strong>**I really loved writing t****hese past couple of chapters. Not going to lie, but I think I have fallen in love with Scorpius myself. Thankfully, I think I have been updating pretty quickly. I try to get at least two chapters out every weekend, and I haven't gotten lazy yet.**

**Please keep on reading! The story is far from finished:)  
><strong>

**And, as always, please tell me what you think!  
><strong>


	18. June 15, 2024

**June 15, 2024:**

We were in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, laughing about some story Albus just told us. We were going home. For most of us this was it. Our Hogwarts days were behind us. All that was left from our generation was Hugo and Lily. Roxanne, Albus, Michael, Scorpius, and I now had futures to worry about. Jobs to get. New homes to move into. We were all grown up, and for once in our lives, everything wasn't mapped out for us.

Things were about to change drastically, but I surprisingly wasn't scared. I wanted to embrace it. I can't deny that I love Hogwarts. Every moment at that school was perfect. I had made friends of a lifetime there. I grew up and changed in ways that I never imagined when I was twelve years old. I was going to miss it, of course, but I was also ready to find my way in life. To be on my own officially.

I was holding Scorpius' hand tightly, wanting to go and find an empty compartment so we could talk. Or maybe just snog some. Not going to lie, that would probably make me the happiest witch in the world. I was so easy to please.

"So what are you planning on doing now, Albus?" Roxanne then asked. Subconsciously, I think we all have been avoiding talking about jobs and such. It would make the idea of our futures more concrete.

I guess Michael was right when he said that I had time to decide what I wanted to do after Hogwarts, though, I never really decided. Everything just kind of feel into place for me. Professor McGonagall called me into her office about a month and a half ago. There was a man there who apparently had been watching me closely throughout my Hogwarts year. He wanted to recruit me to be an Unspeakable. I knew instantly that this was the perfect job for me. It was going to be mysterious and interesting. There would never be a boring moment, and I would be learning all the time.

I agreed then and there. I wasn't really supposed to talk about it, but sometimes I couldn't resist. I basically bragged about the entire thing to Scorpius and Michael. Michael was going to work at Gringotts which is a ridiculously good job for someone just out of school, but even he had to admit that being an Unspeakable was also pretty amazing.

Scorpius was still trying to get Quidditch offers. He hasn't gotten anything good yet, though. I am worried. I don't know what he will do if he doesn't get picked up for a team. I knew he would never be happy doing any other job.

"Well, I have to wait for my NEWT scores to come in, but I am already applying for the Auror program," he replied, shyly.

"Yeah, like you wouldn't get in even if you failed all of you NEWTs," Roxanne retorted.

He shot her a death glare, and she laughed in reply.

"What did you decide on doing?" I asked Roxanne. She was about as sure about her future as I used to be. Roxanne wanted to be about a thousand different things throughout the years, never settling on anything.

She frowned for a moment before saying, "I am thinking about skipping the entire occupation thing and just traveling the world for a bit."

"How are you going to make money?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know. I will probably get temporary jobs in all the different places I visit or whatever, and besides, my parents set up a trust fund for me."

This didn't really surprise me. Roxanne was always flighty. Her boyfriends. Her interests. Everything. She couldn't focus on one thing for large amounts of time. She would never do well sitting behind a desk every day. She would want adventure and change, and it looked like she was going to get it.

"Well don't die out there," I joked. "That could be bad. And come and visit me. I don't think I could survive without any girl contact for long amounts of time. That's means I would just be stuck with these two for the rest of my life, and that doesn't sound appetizing."

Scorpius and Michael exchanged a look, and I knew I was out of the loop of something big automatically. I glanced at Michael first, since he was the one who could read my mind, but he was making it a point to not look at me. Then I squeezed Scorpius' hand and stared into his liquid silver eyes.

He stood up and pulled me out of the compartment. Roxanne wolf whistled behind us. I got momentarily excited, thinking he was going to pull me down the hallway to find an empty compartment. Instead we stood in the deserted hallway. His expression was grim.

"Rose, I got picked up by the Kenmare Kestrels for their reserve team," Scorpius said.

My eyes widened, and I broke out into a grin. This is exactly what he was hoping for. The Kestrels were a great team, and even though he would only be on the reserve team, he would be playing Quidditch. It was his dream.

I threw my arms around him before exclaiming, "Congratulations! I knew some team would pick you up! You are going to play professional Quidditch!"

It wasn't until I leaned in to kiss him that I noticed something was really wrong. He kissed me for only a moment before pulling back, and he didn't seem very excited.

"Rose," he said.

I knew it almost instantly. Just like I knew with all my previous boyfriends. He was going to breakup with me.

"Why?" I merely replied. He knew I understood just from that one word.

"The Kestrels are from Ireland. That's far away."

"We could do it," I replied, understanding what he was getting at. "We could do the long distance thing. I would go see you play games; you would come home for the holidays. It could work."

"Rose, you are going to be working. You can't just take off a bunch of days to come and see me, and I am going to be practicing harder than most team members this year. I am going to have to work hard if I want to be on the real team next year. They play on most holidays too, meaning I will have to be there."

Tears welled up into my eyes.

"I'll go with you," I said, in my last desperation to stay with him.

He wiped the tears from my eyes and said, "You finally decided that you wanted to be an Unspeakable. It's taken years for you to come up with that decision. Just think about how long it will take you to think up a job you would enjoy in Ireland. Besides, you have your family, your friends, and your entire life here. It's not worth dropping everything for me. Rose, it's for the best."

He was right. I didn't want to keep him from his dream, and it wasn't practical for me to leave. I thought about Theo, and how against long distance relationships I was then. I don't think my views have changed. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt. I loved him. I was sure about that. Now he was leaving.

I leaned into him, kissing him hard. I knew this wouldn't make it easier on either of us, but I needed it. Warmth spread through my entire body, and I felt like laughing. It was a strange sensation. Finally, out of breath, I pulled away.

"I love you," he whispered to me.

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

And with that small exchange, our relationship was put into a small box. We were just friends. Tears threatened to pour from my eyes, but I held them back. I didn't want people to worry about me. I wasn't losing Scorpius, really. I would be okay.

I sat next to Michael, instead of reclaiming my spot next to Scorpius. If anybody noticed, they didn't mention it. Maybe they all already knew. One rebellious tear made its way down my cheek, as I pressed my face into Michael's chest. He petted my hair, trying to soothe me. I could feel Scorpius' silver eyes on me.


	19. September 19, 2024

**Part 2: We'll Be Together, No Matter The Weather **

**September 19, 2024:**

"This is the last of the boxes," Michael called from the other room.

I walked in to find him levitating a moving box into the middle of the floor in my new bedroom. It contained a variety of miscellaneous items including a picture of my family and me, a Muggle piggy bank my grandfather gave me for one of my birthdays, and my jewelry box.

"Thanks," I replied. "So, I guess it's official. We are all moved in and on our own."

"I still don't know how you convinced me to live with you," he replied, looking at the mess that was already starting in my room. Michael never lost his impeccably clean habits, while I was a little more lax when it came to upkeep.

I worked hard during this summer for two reasons. The first reason was because I needed to move downtown desperately. After Hogwarts I was still living in my parents' house, and it was starting to drive me crazy. I wasn't used to being around them for such longer periods of time, considering I spent most of the year at Hogwarts. I would be reduced to do things like chores and help my mother with dinner. Plus my parent's house in Godric's Hallow was so far away from downtown London. The commute was terrible to make. I knew I needed to move out and very soon at that.

I saved up practically every Knut I made over the summer. That was the only good thing about living with my parents. Since I never had to buy anything like groceries, most of my pay went into my "New Flat Fund."

By the end of the summer I had enough for the smallest of flats. It wasn't perfect. It was so tiny that it could barely house one person comfortably, but I would be living in London and not with my parents. That's what I constitute a step up.

When I told my parents that I was moving out, they got worried. They didn't want me to live on my own. I told them that I would be okay, and they knew I would, they would just feel more comfortable if I had a roommate. Honestly, I felt the same way, so I did what I always did when I had a problem. I went to Michael.

Talking to Michael went better than I expected. I just asked him if he knew anybody who would be willing to be my roommate, and he replied by saying that _he _would move in with me. His parents were Muggles and weren't used to so much magic being used in such a close proximity. He decided that he should probably move out also, for their sake.

I jumped on the idea of moving in with Michael. I could afford something better than the hole in the wall I was originally planning on renting, both of us would appease our parents, and I would be living with Michael! It was a total win-win situation. I spent most of my time with him anyways. It was the perfect plan!

The second reason I worked hard this summer was because I wanted to take my mind off of Scorpius and I's breakup. After the train ride, I bottle up most of my feelings. Scorpius would be in England for only a couple more days, and I didn't want to waste any of my time with him moping. During this time period, we brought ourselves back to being "just friends." I have to admit, it was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do.

After he left, things got tough. I missed him. A lot. And not even in a romantic way, most of the time. I missed having my second best friend around. I missed how much fun I had with him. I missed the jokes he made. Michael tried to fill the hole, but it was fruitless. I needed my daily dose of Scorpius.

Then on top of all that, I was nursing my heartbreak. I got asked out every once in a while, but I always refused. I wasn't over Scorpius yet, and it just felt wrong dating someone else. He was probably dating girls left and right, though he never mentioned any girls in his letters. It was almost sad. I was jealous of Scorpius' fictional girlfriends. Work helped, though. It was a good distraction.

"You will love living with me," I said, lying down on my bed. "It will be like a huge party every single night."

"Not going to lie," he replied, chuckling, "that's what I am afraid of."

I laughed with him, because I knew he was only half joking.

Then I heard the familiar tap of a beak on the window. I turned, hoping to see Scorpius' black and white owl, like I always did. Instead I was slightly disappointed to find a bright red, exotic bird. That could only mean Roxanne.

Roxanne stayed true to her word. She left the day after we all got back from Hogwarts for Australia. Since then she has also visited France and Spain. The last I heard she was in Germany. Her letters came irregularly. Sometimes I would get two in one day, while other times weeks would go by without hearing a peep from her.

I opened the window and untied the letter from the bird's leg. It flew away right after that. I guess Roxanne wasn't expecting a reply. She never really did. "Roxanne made it to the Caribbean," I said to Michael, while reading her letter.

"Does she have any plan whatsoever? It seems like she is just going wherever she felt like being at the moment," Michael replied.

"Know Roxanne, you are probably right."

Michael had taken my spot on my bed. I laid down next to him and burrowed myself into his side. His arms automatically wrapped around me. Neither of us said anything to each other for a while. We just took it all in. It was just us now. I had to admit, it could have been worse. I could have been left with some terrible person. I had Michael instead.

He smelled like soap and fresh parchment. There was also something sweet that I couldn't quite place. I remember thinking that I could be very happy for a very long time if I just stayed in his arms.

"You know you are perfect, right Golden Boy?" I said, casually.

He merely chuckled in reply.

* * *

><p><strong>I know some of you are probably furious with me, because of the dramatic turn this story has taken. Trust me. I am furious with myself too, but that's what makes a good story. Just enjoy the ride, keep on reading, and definitely keep on telling me how much you lovehate/are neutral/etc. about this story. **

**Until the next chapter;)  
><strong>


	20. March 4, 2025

**March 4, 2025:**

"Rose, listen to me!" Michael exclaimed.

I was jarred out of my daydream, by his voice. He had been lecturing me for a while now, and when Michael gets in these moods I tend to just zone him out. Apparently he knew that this was going to happen though.

"I was listening," I said, trying to put on the most innocent look I could mange.

"Really? Then what was the last thing I said?" he replied, not believing anything.

Caught red-handed.

"Michael, I am a big girl. I promise I can take care of myself," I said, trying to change the topic.

"You know, you said those exact words at the last party we went to. You remember how that one ended, or maybe you don't. You did drink quite a bit that night," he replied.

I grimaced at the memory. My head was pounding for the rest of the week after the party Michael mentioned. Someone there thought that it would be fun to play a drinking game. Let's just say I am not that good at games.

"Now that I have your attention," Michael then said, "let's go over the ground rules. After five drinks, you are not allowed to leave my side for any reason. Or have any more drinks for that matter. No flirting with random guys, including the bartender, just because you can. You are being too careless lately. One of these days, one of those prats you talk to aren't going to be as 'sweet and cute' as you think they are."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes it bothered me how high and mighty he was.

"Seriously, Rose," he then continued. "These aren't just the parties that we had at Hogwarts, where you knew everyone and at least one of them would help you if you drank a bit too much. This is real life, with people who don't care if you pass out in the middle of the room."

I knew he was right. I have been flirting with a lot of random guys in bars lately. I am just hoping that they are nicer than the usual arses that tend to ask me out. I finally nursed my broken heart to a point where I wanted to meet new guys, but none of the new guys I meet are right.

"Is that all Michael?" I asked.

"Rose, I want you to be careful. I wish Scorpius was still here. That way I would know that even though you are drinking too much, you were drinking with him."

I frowned at this comment, spun on my heel, and walked into the small pub. The party was already going. I recognized only a couple of the faces in front of me. This was a Michael's friend's birthday party. They worked together, but I never met him. I liked meeting new people, and Michael needed a friend to come with him.

"Rose, wait up!"

I didn't.

Instead I moved through the crowd, waving a couple of people that I was acquainted with. I was looking for someone to talk to. I wanted to show Michael that he wasn't my father, and I was smart. I didn't need his help.

After a couple of minutes of wandering between people, I successfully had two awkward conversations with two girls who were a year older than me at Hogwarts, was hit on by a really creepy guy, and got the contents of someone else's drink spilled on the front of my shirt. This was turning out to be a great night.

All I wanted to do was find Michael, but I couldn't. I was still mad at him over the fact that he was being so controlling and the Scorpius comment. I didn't know why him mentioning Scorpius bothered me so much. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything. He was just pointing out the fact.

I found myself just outside the pub, feeling the cool spring air on my face.

"Are you hiding too?" I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned to find a cute guy standing behind me. He was about average height, with brown hair and blue eyes. He had the whitest teeth I had ever seen.

"I guess I am," I replied.

"Well then, may I join you?" he asked.

I smiled and said, "Of course."

"My name is Vincent," he said, holding out his hand.

"Rose," I replied, while grabbing his hand. We both held on for a second too long before letting go.

"So, Rose, who are you hiding from?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'who'?" I replied, curious.

"Isn't it always a 'who'?"

I thought about all the times I left a party, and every single time it was because of a "who."

"I guess you are right in most cases," I said, "but not in this one. There is no 'who' tonight. I'm just not in a partying mood. Who are _you _hiding from?"

"I guess you caught me. There's no 'who' for me either. I just saw a pretty girl standing outside, and I got curious," he said, laughing.

I blushed and said, "Well I am glad you did. I was getting quite bored, and roommate is still in there."

"I promise I am entertaining," he replied.

We chatted about everything from Quidditch to our jobs. He would say some clever joke, and I would shoot some clever joke back. I liked Vincent. He was the sweet cute boy I was looking for.

"Rose! There you ar—" he said, stopping when he noticed Vincent. He shot me a disapproving look before continuing. "Who is this?"

"Just a friend I made. His name is Vincent. Vincent this is my roommate Michael."

I felt like there was an icy moment between the two of them for a second, but then Michael smiled. "Nice to meet you Vincent."

"You too," he replied, shaking hands.

"Just give me a moment Michael. Then we can go," I said.

He nodded and walked back inside after saying, "Don't take too long!"

"You didn't mention that your roommate is a boy," Vincent then said.

I chuckled and was slightly flattered that he was already jealous of Michael. "Don't worry about him. We're just friends and have been for as long as I can think."

This seemed to appease him slightly. "So when do I get to see you again," he then said.

"How about next weekend? We can go grab some lunch or something," I replied, smiling.

"Sounds like fun."

After a couple more minutes of me telling him my information about where I live and such, I said goodnight and made my way back inside. I was smiling when Michael grabbed me and said, "I thought told you not to flirt with random guys!"

"Michael you worry too much," I then said, laughing. I wasn't going to let him ruin this moment.


	21. May 31, 2025

**May 31, 2025:**

I was at the Kenmare Kestrels home Quidditch pitch. One of the chasers took a bludger to the head during practice this week, and still hasn't recovered. That meant that they were putting Scorpius in the game. He sent us an owl right after he got the good news with two tickets and letter asking us to come and see him.

I was excited. Scorpius was going to be playing in his very first professional Quidditch game, and I was sitting in a very good seat. It was high enough to see everything, but not too high. Plus, I haven't seen him in close to a year. I really did miss Scorpius more than I lead on. Just talking to him through the occasional letter wasn't enough. I needed to see his smiling face, and striking liquid silver eyes.

I was also very nervous. This would be the first time I would see Scorpius since we broke up. I thought I finally got over him, but he has been away. I didn't know if seeing him again would reopen all of my wounds or if I would see him and not feel a thing. Sometimes I think that would be even worse.

The game was good, even though the Kestrels lost. Scorpius tried his hardest, and he did score most of the goals, but the other team caught the snitch. Even I had to admit, the Kestrels' seeker wasn't the best in the world. The other seeker was already inches away from the snitch, before their seeker even knew that he had spotted it.

Michael and I waited for Scorpius by the changing rooms. He came out looking somber, but a smile grew on his face the minute he saw us standing there. I practically ran up to him, and pulled him into the biggest hug I could manage, while Michael nonchalantly waltzed up to the two of us. Scorpius smelled exactly how I remembered and being in his arms felt right. My heart sped up just the slightest, but I forced it to stop.

"How have you been, Rosie Posie," he whispered into my ear.

"I have missed you tons and tons. You don't know how much I hate you for moving all the way out here," I replied.

Then I released him. Michael and he then did some sort of guy handshake as they said there hellos.

"Let's go get something to eat. I am starved," Scorpius said.

"You are always hungry," I replied.

The three of us laughed, as we all thought about how many pieces of toast Scorpius could consume during breakfast time. I was so happy to see him. It felt complete being with him. It didn't hurt to see him, like I thought it might, though. Of course, my heart pounded a little harder, but I just accounted that to seeing him for the first time in months. Plus I once was in love with him.

We somehow made it to a little Muggle pub that Scorpius claimed had the best hot chocolate. I didn't understand why we needed hot chocolate in the middle of May, but he insisted.

"So Rose," he said, as we all sat down. "How's the boyfriend. What was his name? Vincent? He probably has to be really good in bed, because from your letters he sounds like such a bore." He smirked at his comment. He was probably trying to hit one of my nerves. He didn't know how hard it actually hit.

"That's a bit of a sore topic," Michael replied for me.

Scorpius' brow furrowed. "What happened?"

I looked down at my plate as I said, "We broke up this week."

"What happened?" Scorpius asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "I thought you really liked him."

"He was jealous when he heard that I was coming to watch the Quidditch game," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. My voice rose a little too high at the end, breaking the façade.

"Why?" Scorpius said, looking confused. "Did he not like it that you were coming to watch one of your ex-boyfriends? Didn't he know that we are just friends, and that was just some school relationship? It didn't mean anything really."

That struck another nerve.

"No, he was not jealous of you. He was jealous of Michael. Just because you are a bigheaded prat, doesn't mean the entire world revolves around you," I snapped at him.

Michael started looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Rose," he said, raising his hands in apology. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't the reason why you broke up. You seemed to really like this guy."

I went back to staring at my plate.

There was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes, when finally Scorpius asked, "Why was he jealous of Michael?"

Somehow I knew he really wanted to know the answer to that question, but I didn't feel like answering it. So I was glad when Michael said, "Isn't it obvious, mate? He thought I was trying to steal her away from him."

"But you aren't. So, why didn't you just tell him that?" he then asked.

"I did, but he didn't believe me. I mean, I live with Michael. I hang out with Michael just as much as I hung out with him. I talked about Michael quite a bit. I could see why he would be jealous, but I told him that there wasn't anything between us. He was still suspicious. Then when you sent us thought tickets, and I told him that I was going with Michael, he got upset. He gave me an ultimatum. It was either Michael or him, and I guess it's obvious who I chose."

"Wow. He sounds like a real git, Rose. I am glad the two of you broke up," Scorpius then said.

I glanced at Michael to find him staring back at me. I smiled, and he responded with a smile of his own. It wasn't a hard choice. I didn't love Vincent, even though he was the first I went all the way with. I knew I would survive if he wasn't in my life, but I couldn't without Michael. I got to him with all of my problems. He helps me through everything, and with Scorpius being gone, I knew I needed at least one of my boys in my life. I told Vincent instantly that I was going to choose Michael every single time.

"Hey, you started wearing your necklace again," Scorpius then said.

I looked down at my hand that was playing with the heart that Theo gave me. "Oh yeah, I guess I am," I said, almost as an afterthought. My mind was still on Theo.

"I am going to run to the bathroom," Michael then said. I guess the awkwardness level got too high for him.

"I'm sorry you lost your game," I then said, attempting to change the subject. "I know you tried really hard."

"Yeah well, you win some, you lose some. It happens," he said. I could tell that he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince me.

"No, seriously. You know I would tell you if I thought you were the problem. It was your seeker. He never really was that good," I replied, trying to cheer him up.

"I just wish I was playing more," he replied, somberly.

"Maybe you just need a spot of good luck."

He looked up at me. His eyes were laughing. I knew he had some sort of scheme up his sleeve. "Maybe I do need a good luck charm."

"Where are you going to get one?" I then asked.

"I think you are going to give me one."

I gave him a confused look. "I don't have any good luck charms."

"Yes you do," he said, before leaning in and kissing me.

For a second, I let him kiss me. It felt nice and sweet, just like I remembered. Then I realized what was happening. Nothing has changed since we broke up. He was still in Ireland, and I was still in England. Plus, he even practically said that our relationship didn't matter to him just now. I pulled away ready to yell at him, but then Michael sat down. If he saw our kiss, he didn't mention it, though he was a bit icier than when he left.

Scorpius didn't say anything either. I almost didn't believe it happened, except for the fact that he sent me an amused smirk.

That cocky git.

After we were all done eating and finished drinking the hot chocolate, which I had to admit, was amazing, we went back to Scorpius's flat. It was smaller than Michael and I's. It consisted of two bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.

Somehow, after a long discussion about how there was only one extra bed, and me being too nice to let Michael sleep on the couch, I ended up snuggled into his side. It was freezing, because Scorpius liked it at a ridiculous temperature when he slept.

I was shivering, when he wrapped both of his arms around me. Somehow my thoughts made its way back to another time when he wrapped his arms around me. I thought about that wish on the shooting star I made during our third year. I wished for everything to stay the same. That wish didn't come true.

Everything didn't stay the same. I dated Scorpius. He moved to a different country. I became wild and crazy. The only one of us that seemed to stay the same was Michael. He was the consistent one of the three of us. He didn't make dumb choices like me, or spontaneous ones like Scorpius. He knew where his life was going, and he stuck to his plan. He kept me grounded.

All of a sudden, it felt a little too hot in the room.


	22. July 9, 2025

**July 9, 2025:**

_Please pick up. Please pick up. Please pick up,_ I thought to myself as I found the small mirror in my bag that was discarded near my door. I had a hard time finding all my clothes. It was dark in the room, and I had to find them without waking up Antony or Roberto or whatever his name was. I didn't actually knew close to nothing about the guy lying in the bed five feet from me. All I knew was that he was foreign, and we had a drunken shag. It was easy to say that this wasn't one of my better evenings.

Michael and I bought these two-way mirrors to contact each other a couple of months ago. They were easier than trying to send an owl and faster too, but we rarely used them. We were always together, so there was no point in using them. Michael would see the urgency in the situation just because I was using it instead of just walking down to his bedroom, waking him up, and complaining to him.

I almost screamed in excitement when I saw his face appear in the mirror.

"Rose, it's very late at night. Why are you calling me?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. I would have thought that he was kinda cute with his bed-head, if I wasn't having an emergency at the time.

"Michael, I need you to come pick me up," I replied, my throat still a bit scratchy. I grabbed my bag, and tiptoed my way out of the bedroom. I was trying my hardest not to wake the sleeping man in the bed, but I didn't need to worry. He slept as if he was put under a nice of the Draught of the Living Death.

"How much have you drank tonight?" he asked then, noticeably more awake. He knew something was wrong.

"Too much. I don't think it would be safe if I tried to Apparate," I replied, slightly guiltily. This wasn't the first night I have said these words in the past couple of weeks.

"So translation: enough to end up in a room with some guy and barely remember all of the details," he then said, disapprovingly. It was a statement not a question.

I blushed deep red.

After taking a bit of time figuring out where I was, Michael Apparated into the living room. He frowned as he helped me Side-Along Disapparate back into our flat. I could tell that he was extremely upset.

"I am sorry that I woke you up, Michael, but thank you for coming to save me," I said, trying to appease him. I didn't like it when he was upset with me.

"Save your apologies. You are just going to do the same thing in a week or so," he snapped at me.

My eyes got large. Never, in the entire time I have ever known Michael, has he ever snapped at me. Even when he was furious with me, he would always stay calm. We would talk things out, and everything would be fine again.

I stood there flabbergasted, as he continued to lecture me. "Rose, you have been so irresponsible lately. I don't know what's wrong with you all of a sudden. It's like you have dived off the deep end. You are drinking and partying all the time, without thinking about any consequences whatsoever. I would bet a million pounds that you don't even know that guy's name, but nevertheless, you ended up shagging him tonight. Then you just call me and expect me to come and save you. You will never see that git again, so no harm done right?" he practically yelled at me.

"I—I don't know…" I said, trying to process it all. This was so ridiculously out of character, and it was evident that he had been wanting to say this to me for a while now. He was probably just waiting for the perfect time.

He took a step closer to me. "Of course not! You have been going from guy to guy since you broke up with Scorpius, and that's alright. It doesn't matter anyways, because I will be here to pick up the pieces at the end of the day."

"I haven't been going from guy to guy. I dated Vincent for a while," I attempted to defend myself, but even I could see through my week argument.

He rolled his eyes and said, "For like, what? Five minutes? You didn't even put any effort into that relationship." I opened my mouth to challenge him, but he cut me off. "Don't even try to deny it. You know it's true. If I were in his position, I would be jealous of me too, because you did spend more time with me than him!"

I then took a step closer to him, putting a finger on his chest, and yelled, "Well at least I am trying! That's more than I can say for you! You haven't dated a girl since when? Hogwarts? You are being too perfect to have any fun!"

"I am not perfect, I know how to have fun," he yelled back.

"Sure you do. I bet you don't even remember the last time you kissed a girl," I then said.

"The reason I haven't kissed a girl since Hogwarts is because I have been too busy being in love with you!" he then exclaimed.

It took both of us a moment to process what he said. Even then I had to ask, "What do you mean 'in love with me?'"

He looked down at the floor. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"No, Michael. Please tell me," I said, softly.

"I don't know. I just formed a crush on you sometime after Scorpius left for Ireland and we moved in together, and then it just grew from there. It's really no big deal," he grumbled.

I stared at Michael for a moment. He was still looking at the floor. I could feel the embarrassment radiating from him. I think this is the only time I have ever seen him embarrassed. For some reason this made me smile. Michael had a flaw. He wasn't perfect, but he was sweet and extremely attractive.

Michael felt safe and warm, which is what I needed. He was right. He was always right. I needed to grow up, but who's to say that Michael couldn't be the one to help me grow up. He was willing to drop everything he was doing to help me and to save me. He was my knight in shining armor.

I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was because I was still a bit drunk. Maybe it was because I got caught up in the moment. Or maybe it was because I actually felt something. Maybe I had been feeling something for a while now, and that was the reason why all of my relationships had been failing for the past year. It didn't really matter. I just leaned in, brought his eyes up so that they could look deep into mine, and kissed him.

I have never thought of doing before in my life, but that night, I knew I made the right choice. He was the first to pull away and asked, "Rose? What are you—"

"I love you, too," I said, cutting him off. I knew at that moment, it was true. I loved Michael.

His confused demeanor instantly transformed into a bright smile. I leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>It's safe to say that this was a lot of crazy in such a short chapter. Hopefully everyone is either happy or not too upset:) Anyways, I am super excited for the next couple of chapters. The next couple of chapters are probably going to be "filler" chapters. I like to think of it as the calm before the storm, because right after those, things are going to start going insane. So, please stay tuned and keep on reading. Oh, and of course tell me what you think of this lovely chapter:) <strong>


	23. August 29, 2025

**August 29, 2025:**

I was snuggled into Michael's side on the couch in the living room of our flat. I was writing a letter, while he was reading. He was also twirling a curl of my hair around his finger. Michael, for some reason, had the strange obsession with my hair. I didn't understand why he found my hair so enjoyable, but he did. I didn't question it. Maybe he just had a thing for redheads.

"Who are you writing to?" he finally said, closing his book.

"Scorpius," I replied. "You know, from the way he speaks in his letters, I don't think he knows that we are dating. He still casually flirts with me all the time, which I know for a fact that he tries to not do when I am in a relationship. I thought you said you were going to tell him."

A guilty look instantly grew on Michael's face.

"You didn't tell him?" I asked, confused. Scorpius was his best friend. I couldn't think of a single reason why he wouldn't tell him that we were dating.

"Well, I wasn't sure how he would react. That relationship was probably the best for both of you, and you guys formed some sort of special bond. I didn't want to come in between that," he replied.

Of course I was Scorpius' ex, but I didn't think either of us thought of each other in that way. The three of us had always been best friends first. Scorpius obviously didn't have any feelings for me anymore, and mine were almost completely gone. And if Scorpius would approve of anybody to be my boyfriend, he would approve of Michael. He was the Golden Boy. Plus there was the small fact that he also lived in a total different country. It seemed kind of strange that Michael felt intimidated by him.

"I'm sure he won't mind at all," I then said, continuing to write my letter.

I told Scorpius that Michael and I were now dating. He wrote about how we ended up together, not leaving out a single detail, and breaking down and analyzing every part. I was happy that I got the chance to do that, because between Roxanne not being there and Michael being the guy in question. I didn't really have anybody to talk to about my new relationship. I really needed to get more friends.

He smiled, placed a quick kiss on my lips, and said, "If you say so."

I finished writing my letter and then sent it to Scorpius. He had been getting better about replying quickly, but I wasn't expecting him to reply before the end of the week. So, I was surprised when our owl was pecking at the window with a reply, merely hours after I sent the first one.

I opened the window and untied the letter from his leg. Michael was in the bedroom, taking a nap. I walked into the room and cuddled up next to him. His eyes instantly fluttered open. Michael was a terribly light sleeper, so I knew lying down next to him would wake him up. I wanted him to read Scorpius' letter with me.

"He replied already?" Michael asked, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"Apparently. Maybe I just caught him at a good time or something."

Both of us read the letter. I read it twice. Neither of us said anything immediately after. I finally broke the ice by saying, "That was… quick."

His letter was short. Scorpius made up some excuse about being late for Quidditch practice, but I knew for a fact that he had never been late to a single practice ever in his entire life. He usually shows up thirty minutes early on most nights. He congratulated us on our relationship, and he seemed enthusiastic. The only problem was that it seemed forced, like he had some sort of objection.

"I told you he wouldn't be happy about it," Michael said, using his know-it-all, Golden Boy voice.

I rolled my eyes. "He probably was late, or maybe he was having a bad day. There are nearly a million reasons as to why he isn't super excited. We both know that neither of us is hung up over the other," I then said, trying my best to defend Scorpius.

Michael sighed and smiled. "You are probably right," he said. "I was just being paranoid. I think I believe that because I am so ridiculously happy, something terrible will happen to break it all up."

I felt my stomach flip. He really loved me. I could tell, more than I could tell with any other guy. I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

I chuckled and said, "Scorpius is going to come here all the way from Ireland to 'win me back.' That is crazy."

He replied, smoothly, "It could happen. I may have to fight him for your honor, but it will be alright because I would obviously win."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Now you are starting to sound just like him. All cocky and arrogant and stuff. I don't know what I am going to do with you two boy. You both are going to drive me insane."

"Well, you do say you need your daily dose of Scorpius. I was just complying with your requests," he replied, before leaning in and kissing me for real.

I felt it all the way down to my toes as he wrapped his arms around me. Both my hands made it to the back of his neck. I pulled him closer, never wanting him to let go. I loved him too. I loved the feeling that I got when I was around him. I loved the way that he believes I should be treated with the upmost respect. I love it that he is perfect and sweet, and his attractiveness was an added bonus.

I laid myself down, pulling him on top of me. One of his hands tangled itself into my hair. The other ran up the length of my side. I reached for the hem of his shirt and tugged at it, trying to pull it off.

I felt him tense slightly before shifting his weight to his arms and propping himself over me. "What do you think you are doing, love?" he asked with a soft expression on his face, but I could hear a touch of sternness in his voice.

I felt like a five-year-old being scolded by her parents. My face turned deep red. "I love you," I squeaked out, hoping that would suffice as a good enough response.

"I love you too, but Rose. This is a tremendously large step," he said. "There's no turning back or fixing it after it's done."

"I know," I replied, staring deep into his eyes. "I am ready."

I could tell that he didn't believe me, so I tried my best to reassure him with my eyes. I wanted him to see that I wasn't just his twelve-year-old best friend. I wanted him to see that I knew this just wasn't a game. This was real life, and I wanted him to know how much I loved him.

"Please," I whispered. He didn't resist when I pulled him against me again, like I thought he would. He continued kissing me, a tad bit more fervently than his was before. He didn't object as I finally pulled his shirt off, revealing his toned abs. He wound a lock of my hair around his finger, before telling me that he loved me.

* * *

><p><strong>You guys are probably all like, "Has she died or something?" considering I haven't posted a chapter in over a week. I am sincerely sorry about that! These past two weeks have been filled to the brim with mostly useless stuff, but some semi-interesting stuff. Hopefully I will start updating a bit quicker again very soon.<strong>

**Until then, I am going to assume that you liked this chapter. It had way more fluff than most of my chapters, and it was more of a filler than anything. I wanted to capture Rose and Michael's relationship, though, before moving on. I know it was short, but bare with me guys. If you don't like it, please comment. If you do, again comment. So basically comment. Now. Please and thank you:)  
><strong>


	24. December 21, 2025

**December 21, 2026:**

"Rose!" Michael called from the other room. "Did you buy something?"

I momentarily panicked. I forgot to stash the shopping bag containing my new dress in my closet. I didn't want Michael to see it, because I knew he would get upset that I bought another one. I guess I was a little too late for that one.

"Yeah, just a dress robe. It's not that big of a deal," I replied, hoping he would drop it.

"Rose, I think you should return it. It looks very fancy, and it probably cost quite a bit," he then said.

Of course he wouldn't.

"You are being ridiculous, Michael," I said, slight exasperated, as I walked into the room he was located in. The shopping bag was still in his hand. "It's just a dress robe, and it was only sale. It cost me seven galleons. I don't think we are going to become bankrupt because I bought it."

"Rose," he replied, "when are you going to use it?"

"The Malfoy's Christmas party is coming up," I pointed out.

"And what are you going to do with the other two dress robes you 'bought for the Christmas party?'"

Caught red-handed.

Have I really used that excuse two times already? I was losing my touch. I was usually pretty good at coming up with original excuses.

"Well," I then said, ignoring his last comment. "I am not returning it. I work very hard and make quite a bit of money for someone my age, and I have quite a bit of money already inherited. It's not a big deal that I treat myself to some new clothes every once in a while 'just because.'"

"Rose, you are being unreasonable. It's not a question of whether or not we can afford it. Why can't you understand that you can't buy a dress every week? It's wasteful and unnecessary. Half the stuff in your closet still has tags on them. Are you channeling your old need to sleep around into buying stuff all the time or something? Because it has just become insane."

I stared, shocked at him. I could tell that he knew what he said was bad, but he didn't apologize. Finally I said, breaking the silence, "I cannot believe you just said that. You of all people know that I am not proud of that time. I was confused and trying to dodge feelings that I had for _you,_ let me remind you. You have no right to use that against me."

"Rose, I don't want this to escalate into an argument. It's not that big of a deal," he then said.

"Oh, I see. It's a huge deal if it's someone else's fault, but if it's yours, we should just drop the topic. You don't want to hear your faults, Golden Boy?"

"It's not like that, Rose. You know that."

"Sure it's not. Because there is nothing wrong with you ever. You probably don't even know the real meaning of a mistake, because you have never experienced one," I then snapped, venom thick in my voice.

"This isn't some sort of competition, Rose. This is real life. It doesn't matter who makes mistakes and who doesn't. You are just being irresponsible, and I am trying to be a good person by telling you that. I am not trying to step on your toes or whatever. I didn't think you would get so defensive about it."

"I don't want to hear it," I merely replied. I then spun on my heel and walked into the bedroom.

"Rose, wait!" Michael called.

I ignored him and slammed the door behind me. I was furious with him, even though I knew what he was saying had a lot of truth to it. I have been buying quite a bit lately. He was hovering a lot more than usual lately, and it was starting to get annoying. Plus, that comment actually hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

We had been having arguments like this every couple of days for a while now. I know both of us were getting sick of them, but neither of us could seem to stop. It was strange. I never fought with Michael. Ever. But since we have been dating, we seemed to disagree on everything, whether it was big or small.

I knew I just needed to talk to someone. I pulled out a piece of parchment. I started a letter to Scorpius, but I almost instantly stopped after writing the first sentence. He was never the best advice giver, and I don't think he ever got use to the idea that his best friends were dating. Writing to him would be practically useless.

I then scrapped the parchment and pulled out another. This time I started a letter to Roxanne. I hadn't talked to her in a while, and she always gave pretty good advice. I started writing, but for some reason I couldn't get past the first sentence again. I keep on writing new ones then scribbling them out. It was like I couldn't properly arrange the words in a way where they portrayed my problem well enough for her to give me good advice. I crumpled up that piece of parchment as well and threw it at the wall in frustration.

Staring at the wall, I realized who I actually wanted to talk to. Michael. I would always go to him for my problems, not matter how big or small. He always knew what to do or how I should approach a problem. He was my rock and my best friend, but we seemed to have lost that when we were dating. I couldn't talk to him if he was the problem, and I felt like our friendship got swallowed up by our relationship.

I knew now that I needed to go talk to him. I walked to the door, but it opened as I reached for the handle. As if he was conjured by my thoughts, Michael was standing there in the door way.

"We need to talk," both of us said at the same time. There was a pause before we both started to laugh. Those four short words were never a good sign in a relationship, and we both said it at the same time. I was glad Michael found the humor in the irony just like I did.

By the look in his eyes, I could tell that he came up with the same conclusion as I did. Maybe he had known for a while that this would happen, and he was just trying to make it work for my benefit. Maybe he just had an epiphany moment just like I did. I didn't think it really mattered. I was just happy that this wasn't going to be difficult.

After the laughter stopped, we both got really serious. "Things are really messed up between us," I said.

"Yeah," he replied. "They were never like this were they?"

"No they weren't. Things used to be so easy. We had a system. I would give you girl advice. You would give me advice on basically everything else. We had each other's backs. Now I just feel like we are against each other every step of the way."

Michael nodded before saying, "Rose, I love you. You know I do. And I have no doubt that you love me too, but…"

"But sometimes love isn't enough, and sometimes it's a different kind of love," I finished for him.

"Exactly," he said.

I then pulled him into a big hug. I had forgotten how tall and big he had gotten. I could feel his muscles relax under my arms. He wrapped his around me, as I pressed my face into his chest. I felt warm and happy, like finding something you didn't even know you lost.

I then took a step back. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For always knowing exactly what I am thinking. For understanding better than anybody I have ever met. For just being perfect," I replied. I knew what I was saying was gooey and cliché, but I didn't care. It was the truth. He was going to make some girl very happy one day. I only wished that that girl could have been me.

Then he chuckled. "Never did I think I would ever break up with a girl just so I could be her friend again."

"Excuse me. I think I broke up with you," I replied.

He rolled his eyes. "I love you, Rosie Posie," he said, walking towards his old bedroom before he basically moved into mine.

"I love you, too," I replied.

We both meant it, but now those three words meant something completely different. I didn't matter, though. Things were going to get better between the both of us. That was all that mattered to me. I missed "Best Friend Michael." "Boyfriend Michael" wouldn't be getting in the way anymore, and there was nothing that could make me happier.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it. No tears, hard feelings, or a very jealous Scorpius, like most people believed was going to happen. Just a clean breakup. Don't we all wish all break ups went like this? It would sure make life a lot easier. I think I have fallen in love with Michael while writing these last couple of chapters. He really is a knight in shining armor. I just want to give him a hug and keep him in my pocket forever. (Wow, I am obsessed with a fictional character that I created myself. That never happens.)<br>**

**Anyways I appreciate every little bit of feedback that I get, so please comment:)  
><strong>


	25. December 24, 2025

**December 24, 2025:**

"Rose! We are going to be late!" Michael shouted from the living room of our flat.

"I'm almost finished. Don't worry about me!" I called back, while putting in a pair of earrings.

I actually wasn't even close to being finished. My hair was only halfway done, and I hadn't even started my makeup. This year I was going to start getting ready early so that I could say that I made it to the Malfoy's Christmas party on time for once in my entire life, but of course I fell asleep and didn't wake up until about twenty minutes ago. I swear there is some invisible force that prevents me from being on time to this party, not that Michael needs to know that or anything. He absolutely hates being late.

I hurried to get ready and another twenty minutes later, I walked out of my room. I was expecting Michael to be furious with me, because now we were definitely very late. Instead he kissed me on the cheek and said, "You look stunning, per usual."

I blushed deep red. Damn you, Weasley traits.

The transition from dating Michael to being just friends again went actually a lot smoother than I expected. I know we had only been broken up for a couple of days and that we had a very easy breakup, but I thought things would be at least a little awkward for the first couple of weeks. Especially since we still lived together and everything, but Michael had been so good. He seemed to know exactly what made me uncomfortable and how to avoid it. That kiss on my cheek was basically the first time he has really touched me since we broke up, and I could tell he was merely being sweet.

"Let's go," I then said.

We both Apparated to the front of Malfoy Manor. The party was obviously already going when we walked in. Michael and I started to say hello to everyone that we knew. I gave my parents a big hug, and we talked for a bit. Mostly everyone we talked to thought we were still dating. Michael easily explained that we decided it would be better if we just stayed friends, without making anyone, including me, uncomfortable. I don't know how this boy became so perfect, but I can say is that I am glad I met him on the platform eight years ago.

"You know, this party hasn't been the same since Scorpius left," I told Michael, when we got a chance to ourselves.

"Yeah. I noticed that too. We need his idiocy to keep the both of us entertained at this party," Michael then joked.

"Remember when he tried to spike the punch during our sixth year?" I asked, laughing at the memory.

Michael joined in and said, "His father nearly murdered him that year! That was probably one of the best moments of my life!"

"Oh! And remember during our second year when he tried to put something down Mrs. Longbottom's dress!" I then exclaimed.

"I totally forgot about that! What was it again?" Michael then said.

"I can't remember. Wasn't it a frog?" I replied.

"A toad, actually," a familiar voice behind me said.

The smile dropped from my face, as I turned around slowly. It couldn't be. There was no possible way. When I was fully turned around though, my eyes confirmed what my ears just heard. I was met was liquid silver eyes and a cocky smirk. Scorpius.

I let out a small squeal and then practically tackled him. I wrapped my arms tight around his body, and he did the same to me. "Hello, Rosie Posie," he whispered into my ear.

I finally let go of him, and he and Michael shared some sort of best friend hand shake. I smiled. The three of us were finally back together.

"So why are you here?" Michael then asked. "I thought you had to practice through the holidays."

"Well," Scorpius said with a smirk. "I got a job offer."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. The three of us have always said that we could never see Scorpius doing some sort of desk job. We always pictured him playing Quidditch.

"One of the Montrose Magpies decided to retire after a pretty nasty concussion. Apparently they have been watching me play since that game we lost back in May, and they want me to play for them!" he said.

"Scorpius!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe it! You have wanted to play for them as long as I have known you!"

"So that means you are moving back here, doesn't it?" Michael then said.

"Of course! I am going to be right here in town. It kind of sucks, though, because I am going to have to live with my parents again until I find my own flat," he replied.

"No! You have to move in with us!" I then said. I have barely gotten to see him in the last year. I had to make up for all the lost time somehow.

"Rose," Michael then said, "we don't have any space in our flat."

"Wait? Don't you guys have a two bedroom flat?" Scorpius then inquired. Neither Michael nor I told Scorpius about our recent breakup, so it made sense that he thought that we had an extra room.

"Sorry, mate. I moved back into the extra room this week," Michael replied.

"Wait, what happened?" he then said slowly, knowing what it meant if Michael moved out of my room.

"We figured out that we made better friends," Michael answered.

Scorpius paused for a second to figure out if we were joking then he said, "Thank God! I knew you too wouldn't last, and you guys dating was just strange."

I then asked, "How did you know we weren't going to last?"

"I don't know. You guys have always been friends, never more than that. Not just in the obvious sense either. The way you talk to each other, and how you can read each other's minds. It just screams 'best friends.' If you guys started dating, it would get in the way of all that. You guys just had to actually date to find that out."

It was strange. Scorpius could describe our entire relationship and the reason why we broke up, and he wasn't even here to experience it firsthand. Sometimes he can be pretty insightful.

"That still doesn't solve the issue of how we don't have space in our flat for him," Michael then continued.

"I don't care. He can have my room, and I will sleep on the couch," I replied.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and said, "Rose, don't worry about me. I'll find—"

"No you won't," I said, cutting him off. "You are moving in with Michael and me. I refuse to take no for an answer."

"I guess there is no use arguing it, mate," Michael then said, chuckling. "She seems really intent on you moving in with us. We will just have to find you some space somewhere."

We talked a little bit more, mostly catching up. We laughed a lot, especially at Scorpius' jokes. I don't remember them ever being that funny, but I guess the sudden funniness had to do with the fact that I hadn't seen him in quite a long time. After talking for we seemed like hours, Scorpius finally held out his hand towards me and said, "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure," I replied. Then he brought me out into the dance floor, wrapped his arms around my waist, and started to move to the slow song. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his chest.

I remembered the last time I danced with him. It was back during our seventh year, at this same exact party. He definitely was not this graceful back then. He also seems a lot older now, and a lot more muscled if that was even possible. We were still dating at the time, and he told me that he loved me that night. All of a sudden the space between us felt too small. His arms felt too tight around my waist. I pulled my head back and could feel the blush rush to my face.

Scorpius chuckled. "Rose, you are already redder than a Chinese Fireball, and we have only been dancing for about thirty seconds."

"Shut up," I mumbled back. That just made him laugh some more.

"You know the real reason why I got that job?" Scorpius then said, seriously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"It's because of that kiss I stole from you that one time when you and Michael visited."

Neither of us had said anything about that kiss since it happened. We didn't even talk about it then. It was probably just something Scorpius needed to get out of his system, but it was cruel considering I was still trying to get over him at the time. He didn't know that though. There was no reason to bring it up, and it seemed like a better idea to just let it be forgotten. Apparently that hadn't happened yet, though.

"That doesn't even make sense," I replied, blushing more if that was even possible.

"Yes it does. Before I kissed you, I played one game that we lost. After I played at least once or twice a month and won every single time. We were doing so well that my favorite team decided to sign me. The team that I have been dreaming about since I learned what the word Quidditch meant."

"Scorpius. That's not fair. I can't—"

"Rose, I am not trying to get back together with you, or make you feel uncomfortable," he then said. "I am just telling you the truth. You kisses always brought me good luck, not just that one time. Our seventh year was one of my best years, and I got picked up right out of school. It sucked that we had to break up, and I had to leave you and Michael, but it was practically unheard of for a kid straight out of school to get on a team so quickly. Even the reserve teams."

Scorpius has always been super superstitious. He wore the same socks that he won his first game with every single game after that. He probably still does. He also kept this dragon talon in the drawer by his bed for the longest time, thinking it would bring him good luck. No matter how hard Michael and I would try to explain to him that those things didn't make him lucky, and that he was just really good, he wouldn't believe us. It was like arguing with a Hippogriff. Completely pointless.

So I just kept on dancing, letting the conversation die away and enjoying the fact the he was back.

"You know I really missed you," I then said.

"I missed you too, Rose."


	26. July 13, 2026

**July 13, 2026:**

Michael was right when he said that we didn't have space for Scorpius in our flat. We had absolutely no space whatsoever. His clothes took up half of both Michael and me's closets and some were piled on our kitchen table, because he didn't have his own closet. He has more clothes than most guys. Actually, he has more clothes than most girls. I think he has some sort of disease that makes him want to go shopping all the time. I thought I could deal with it, but it went straight past ridiculous and landed at insane.

Then there was the problem of sleeping arrangements. At first he just slept on the couch, but then he complained a lot about it. Apparently, Michael and I do not know how to choose couches because ours is supposedly terribly uncomfortable. Scorpius complaining is probably the most annoying thing I have ever heard in my life. He actually whines. Like a five-year-old girl. It is really sad. That is one of the few things about him that I wish he had left back in Ireland.

So Michael said that he would sleep on the couch, and Scorpius could take his room. He wasn't even trying to be nice or anything. I probably would have given him my bed within the next week just to get Scorpius to shut up, if Michael didn't beat me to it. But apparently our couch is actually really uncomfortable or something, because about a week later Michael asked for his bed back.

This is about when Scorpius decided that it would be a good idea to crash my bed.

While I was already sleeping in it.

"What are you doing?" I said with as much venom in my voice as I could muster. That night there was nothing I wanted to see less than his lovely face above my head. I was about ready to hit him. I hated being woken up.

"Sleep," he merely replied, climbing under the covers.

I thought about trying to get him to leave, but Scorpius was stubborn and I was way too tired to argue with him that night. I think he was banking on that, knowing that I shut down after eleven o' clock at night. That was probably why he waited until very late to invade my bed so that he was guaranteed to be able to stay.

So that is how Scorpius and I ended up sharing a bed for the next six months. The thing was that Michael likes keeping the flat warm, because he hates sleeping while it is cold. Even though I always liked it cooler when I slept, I had gotten used to it from living with Michael for so long. Plus it made the electricity bill a bit cheaper.

It was alright when it was just me in my bed, but Scorpius a walking space heater and likes the comforter practically over his head while he sleeps. So I would wake up almost every night drenched in sweat. I would feel disgusting. I knew it was bad the night that I actually went to take a shower at three in the morning. I absolutely cannot sleep when I am dirty. That is why I always took showers at night.

Finally one day a couple of weeks ago I just snapped. It was the middle of the night, and I dragged both of my boys out of their beds after waking up for the third time that night because I was hot. "We are moving!" I exclaimed.

"Alright," Michael said, as he yawned.

Scorpius was already sleeping again where he was sitting.

"Because this is ridiculous!" I then exclaimed. "I knew I said I would deal with it, but I can't. This space does not fit three people. Especially when the third person is freaking Scorpius Malfoy!"

Scorpius was too deep in his sleep to notice my insult to him, but screaming it out did make me feel a bit better.

Michael yawned again, totally unfazed. "Alright, Rose. There is no need to yell. We do have neighbors that are also trying to get some sleep."

"What do you mean alright?" I then asked, ignoring his mini-lecture. I was skeptical of how easy he agreed to moving. I knew Scorpius wouldn't really care. I dragged him out of bed more to get back at him for making my nights miserable. I was more worried that Michael would be difficult and not want to move.

"Alright. Let's move," Michael said. "I don't understand why that couldn't wait for morning, though."

"You aren't going to argue over it and say that we can't afford it or some idiocy like that?" I then asked. I still was not buying that Michael was chill about this.

He rolled his eyes and said, "We need a bigger flat. There's no arguing that."

He then got up and walked to his room to go back to sleep. "Goodnight," he called over his shoulder.

I picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at Scorpius. "Come on, Sleepy. That was easier than I thought it would be," I said.

He jumped and asked as we walked back towards my bed, "What was easier?"

"Getting the dragon into the house," I replied.

"Oh, alright," he said as he crashed onto my bed and instantly fell back asleep.

I was telling this story to Lily. We were both at the Burrow visiting with family. Grandpa and Grandma Weasley decided to have a family get together this summer. It was exciting because some of my cousins who I hadn't seen in forever, like Victoriare and Teddy, were here. They had two children now who were watching Uncle George do cute little Muggle magic tricks.

All of the other family members were also outside catching up. It was nice to have a cute little family reunion. I missed my family. I had been so busy with work this past couple of months that I had barely found time to visit my parents occasionally, not to mention my other family. I was very thankful that my grandparents decided to host this and was very excited to be there.

Michael and Scorpius were both still at home. Being this was a "family-only" kind of thing, they weren't really invited. Michael understood, but Scorpius pouted for a while about it. He claimed that he was just upset that he wouldn't be able to eat any of my grandmother's cooking, but I knew that he really enjoyed spending time with my family. Because he never really got along with his own parents all that well, my family kind of half-adopted him. He had gotten really close with a lot of them.

Lily just graduated from Hogwarts this past year, and as far as I knew, she was doing well. She had grown up a lot over the past couple of months. She wasn't the annoying little girl that got jealous when she got left out of our games that she used to be. She was currently dating a guy and looking for a job.

Apparently she and her boyfriend were pretty serious. Serious enough for her to bring him to meet our family. Since ours is large and rather obnoxious, we all know it is a big step for any of us to bring our significant others to meet our family. It is also a bit of a test. Whether or not we like him or her could make or break the relationship. As far as I could tell, Lily's boyfriend was nice enough. He wasn't all that interesting, though, and I could see Lily getting bored with him quickly.

Lily was quiet for a moment after I finished telling her my story. I could tell that there was a thought forming in her mind. That was another thing she grew into. She thought more before she acted. Sometimes I wished I matured like she had. I think I wouldn't have done all the stupid things that I did after I graduated.

"What is it Lily?" I asked, growing impatient.

She didn't say anything at first, organizing her words. Finally she opened her mouth and pleaded, "Do you think that I could possibly move in with you guys? Not now of course, but when you move into a larger flat. I really need a place to stay. I can't live with my parents anymore. I love them and all, but I really want to move out."

I didn't say anything at first, because I was shocked. I never thought that she would want to live with Michael, Scorpius, and me. They both never hung out with her that much when we were all in school, and when I did, it was usually also with Roxanne.

Roxanne.

Her letters had been coming more and more infrequently, and when they did come, they would only basically say hello and where she was. She seemed to be distracted. She talked about a guy that she met while travelling occasionally. She seemed to really like him, but as far as I could tell, they were not dating. Roxanne was not dating the guy she liked. That has to be a first in all of her life.

I missed her so much, though. I loved living with Michael and Scorpius, but I always felt like we were talking about Quidditch while I make them some sort of food. I missed the girl influence in my life. I missed Roxanne and I's semi-fake sleepovers and talking about guys and giggling at random times.

Maybe that's what I really needed. Another girl in the flat. We were moving anyways, and a fourth person meant bills would be cheaper. Lily had grown up so much also. She would make an easy roommate. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. She wasn't dating some sleaze that would destroy our home also. I couldn't find a single problem with it.

"Sure, Lily. You can move in with us. Michael, Scorpius, and I are actually going to look at flats tomorrow if you would like to join," I replied, confident that I was making the right decision.

"Aren't you going to talk to your boys or anything to see if they are okay with it?" she then asked.

I laughed and replied, "I don't care what they say. I want you to live with me. We will find our own flat if they have any objections."

Lily's face broke out into a huge grin. "Thank you so much, Rose!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p><strong>You guys probably think I have died or something, considering I haven't posted a chapter in a very long time. Hopefully there won't be such a long time gap in between this and the next chapter.<br>**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it. Tell me what you think!  
><strong>


	27. August 4, 2026

**August 4, 2026:**

"Rose!" I heard Michael shout from the corner of my desk in my office.

I had been really busy lately and was working late trying to catch up. I was assigned to create a spell that could stop a person from making any sound. That included stopping all speaking, making twigs snap, sounds one may make when they fall. It would be perfect for Aurors, when they are on missions that require them to hide.

This project was taking me longer than I expected it to. I was getting really frustrated when Michael mirrored me.

I picked up the mirror and snapped, "What?"

After a glance at his face looking up at me, I knew something was wrong. There was a mix of anger and worry evident on his face. I then said, "Is everything alright?"

"Scorpius is in the hospital," I merely replied.

Scorpius had been complaining that he wasn't feeling well lately. Michael and I kept on telling him that he should go see a healer, but he didn't want to miss Quidditch practice. That kid really needed to get his priorities straight.

"What's wrong with him?" I then exclaimed.

"He has dragon pox. You are going to have to come down to hospital, Rose."

I glanced at all the work on my desk that I still needed to do. "I have to finish up here first, and then I will go over there. I will stop and grab some food on my way there. Nobody likes hospital food, and there is no reason to eat it."

Michael let out an exasperated sigh before saying, "No, Rose. You have to come now."

I could tell that Michael was really worried about something. Then a terrible thought ran through my mind. "He is going to get better, right? He's not going to die, right?"

First a look of shock flooded his face. Then it softened. He said, "Of course he is going to get better. Healers have been treating dragon pox for years now. You know that. I can't believe you would even think that could happen."

"What other reason would I have to go to the hospital right now then?" I then asked, now confused.

"Well, when Scorpius started forming welts during Quidditch practice and then fainted, they called me. I met him at the hospital, and he was doing pretty rough. Apparently when not treated right away, dragon pox can be a real prat. So they asked him if anyone else could have caught it."

"Dragon pox can't be spread through the air right?" I then said, confused as to where he is going.

"No it can't. But it can be spread by kissing."

Then I got it. Scorpius wasn't kidding about his latest superstition. He has been following through with it since he moved in. Whenever he played a tough opponent or felt a particularly terrible practice was coming up, he would somehow manage to get me to snog him. Not that I would resist all that much in the first place. I mean, if you haven't noticed, Scorpius is pretty attractive, and his snogging skills have only improved since he has been gone. I tried not to think about who he practiced on all too much, though.

I don't know if it is all in his head or something, but he really does do better after snogging me. I personally believe it is more of a placebo effect than anything, and that he probably would do just as well without the late night kisses if he only knew he could. He truly believed that I was like Felix Felicis and brought him good luck.

Well since Scorpius was getting sick, he decided that instead of going to the Healer's all he needed was a good snog. He was totally convinced that it would get him through his practice. Obviously it didn't. And now I was going to have to get treated too. Plus Michael is definitely not going to approve of this. He is going to be especially angry when he hears that this isn't the first time this has happened.

"I'll be right there," I replied.

"ROSE! I thought Scorpius was just messing with me when he said that! I didn't think you would actually be so stu—"

"I'll see you at the hospital!" I shouted, cutting him off while throwing the mirror into my bag.

I rushed out of the Department of Mysteries, telling my boss on my way out that I needed to go get treated for dragon pox. He was the epitome of a workaholic and was not happy that I was leaving when I hadn't finished my assignment yet. Apparently having DRAGON POX wasn't a good enough reason to leave a bit early. I was very tempted to casually kiss him on my way out and see what he thought when he had them, but didn't. I didn't want him to fire me for sexual harassment or something along those lines.

As soon as I walked into Scorpius' hospital room, I started to yell. "YOU GAVE ME DRAGON POX! YOU STUPID BLOKE! I HOPE YOU ARE SO SICK THAT YOU CAN'T PLAY ANY QUIDDITCH FOR A WEEK!"

"It's nice to see you too, Rose," Scorpius replied, trying his best to hold back a laugh. He looked terrible. His skin was tinted green. He had a purple rash covering his entire body. He didn't look nearly as attractive as he did a couple of days ago.

I started looking at my own body for any signs of the disease. I knew dragon pox could leave scars, though the greenish tinge should fade away after a couple of weeks. But I didn't want any of those symptoms.

"Don't worry about me, Rose. I should look as good as new in a couple of days. They even said that I won't have any scars or anything, because I haven't been scratching at all. I will still be the most attractive bloke of all time," he replied, still chuckling to himself.

I took the pillow of the second bed in his room and tossed it at his face. Then I said, "I'm glad you think this is funny. I think I would have actually missed how big your head is. You are so cocky, Scorpius Malfoy."

"Does that turn you on?" he then asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You wish."

Michael then walked in with a Healer. The Healer was super attractive. He had blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. They looked like two little pieces of the ocean swimming in his eyes. He smiled at me as he entered. I smiled back.

"Rose, can I talk to you for a second?" Michael then asked.

I wanted to turn him down so that I could talk with the Healer, but he didn't wait for my answer. Instead he dragged me out of the room.

"What?" I asked, annoyed with him.

He frowned at me and said, "What is up with you and Scorpius?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Why were you two kissing? Are you guys getting back together or something? Because if you are than I have something to say about it."

_Scorpius didn't tell him? _I thought to myself. I just assumed that Scorpius would tell Michael about his stupid plan to snog with me whenever he felt like he needed it. Never did I think he would keep it a secret. Michael would surely prevent any further activity like that if he found out about it. Did that mean Scorpius wanted to continue our little deal? Did I want to?

"No, we are not getting back together," I finally said.

"Then why were you two snogging?" he then asked, a bit calmer.

"It doesn't matter," I replied. If Scorpius didn't say anything, I wasn't going to. I was just going to have to talk to him about this later.

I walked back inside the room before he could say anything else. I didn't feel like getting a maturity lecture from him today.

The cute Healer was facing away from the door, talking to Scorpius, when I walked back inside. He turned as he heard the door close behind Michael who followed me into the room. He held out his hand, and said, "Hi. My name is Kevin Hopkins."

I walked the couple of feet between us, shook his hand, and replied, "Mine is Rose Weasley."

"Wait a second. Like the daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley?" he then asked.

I blushed. "Yeah."

"What are you dating a Malfoy then, may I ask?"

I glanced at Scorpius before replying, "I'm not dating him."

"Oh, I just assumed that since you were getting tested…" he then said, letting his sentence trail off.

"It's alright. It was just a joke. I promise I am completely single."

Scorpius scowled in his bed.

"Well then," Healer Hopkins then said, smiling a little bit bigger, "Let's go see what we can do for you before you start looking like him."

"Lead the way, Healer Hopkins" I merely replied.

"Please," he replied, "call my Kevin."

Scorpius' frown deepened as I turned towards the door again.

Michael caught my eye. I knew he did not like where this was going, and he still wanted to talk to me about Scorpius. I didn't care, though. I was talking to a cute guy who seemed really nice. Plus he was a Healer who wanted me to call him Kevin. It didn't get any more perfect than that.


	28. April 18, 2027

**April 18, 2026:**

"Rose, why are you laughing so hard?" Michael asked me.

I just ran into his room, sat on his bed next to him, and laughed hysterically. I couldn't bring myself to stop.

"It's just so ridiculous!" I somehow manage to get out between fits of laughter.

Michael looked at me like I had completely lost it.

Who knows, maybe I had.

"Wait a second? What's so ridiculous?"

"Kevin! He is just unbelievably crazy!" I replied, still laughing.

Michael looked worried now. "Rose, calm down. Tell me what happened."

I pulled myself together enough so that I could tell Michael the story of what happened tonight. I would start to laugh occasionally, though, because I just couldn't help myself. It was completely insane.

That night Kevin was taking me to dinner. I was wearing a new red dress that he bought me earlier that day, and we were at the one of the most expensive restaurants in town. I asked him what was the occasion, and replied with a "just because." I told him that he didn't have to do all of this for me, but he insisted. Kevin was just that kind of guy.

After giving me some medicine for the dragon pox, he asked me to dinner. I had a great night, and we had been dating ever since. He really was a nice guy, though I always say that he spends way too much on me. Not only did he have a nice job, he also inherited quite a bit from an aunt after she died. It got a bit annoying though. When Scorpius, Michael, Lily, and I bought a new flat in July, Kevin wanted to help out with my part of the payments. It took me a while before I could convince him that I was capable of covering it myself.

I was right when I decided that Lily moving in would be a good idea. Scorpius complained at first, remembering how she was a bit immature during our Hogwarts year. I told him to suck it up.

Michael was okay with it, though. More than okay actually. He seemed genuinely excited. I wasn't sure to believe him at first, but so far he has been very welcoming to Lily. I think it is his internal need to always be perfect and polite.

I loved having another girl in the flat though. For once I didn't get outvoted when I would complain when the boys were being too messy or eating all of our food. Plus, it was nice to have some "girl time." I would gush about Kevin to her all the time, and I helped her with her breakup with her old boyfriend.

Even though he was a good bloke, apparently he had a jealousy problem. When he heard that Lily was moving in with two guys that weren't related to her, he was not happy. He would continue to nag Lily about it, until she finally cracked. After talking to me, she decided to break up with him.

Lily would also give me advice. She would give me suggestions as to how to get Kevin past this need to buy everything for me. Honestly I don't think she liked him too much. Neither did either of my boys.

I remember one night, after mentioning that I was going out with Kevin, Scorpius shouted at me, "What are you guys doing tonight? Is he going to take you to Venice, buy you a gondola, and have an entire five course dinner served to you on the river?"

"Scorpius, you are just jealous that I am actually dating someone," I replied smoothly.

"Hey!" he then said. "I went on a date last week!"

"Really. And what are the chances that you are going to call her back?" I snapped.

It was Michael who replied for him. "At least he knows when his dates are duds, and he doesn't need to be with them for months before figuring out that they are just prats in disguise. If you haven't noticed, Scorpius does know relationships."

He beamed, as I rolled my eyes.

I enjoyed spending time with Kevin though. He was really sweet and funny. He always seemed to know what would make me happy, and he has been such a great boyfriend. I had been having more fun than I had in a really long time.

"When we got to the restaurant," I told Michael, "Kevin pulled my chair out for me before I sat down. He was always the perfect gentleman. He is kind of like you in that sense. I picked up the menu, trying to decide what I wanted to eat.

"We both ordered. I complained about how I never order correctly, and how I always wanted what whoever is with me orders, pre usual. When the waiter asked if we wanted dessert, Kevin said immediately chocolate cake. I smiled. He knows me so well."

I started to laugh again. Michael waited patiently for me to stop.

When I was done laughing, I continued with my story. "He told me that I looked beautiful, and I replied by telling him that he didn't look half bad himself. You know, that usual banter that I spew to everyone I know."

"Of course. I don't think anybody would expect anything different from you," Michael replied.

"He continued to throw compliments my way, as the waiter came back with the chocolate cake and two spoons. It looked absolutely delicious. There was chocolate syrup and caramel drizzled on top, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. I was practically drooling just looking at it. You know me. I love chocolate. I was barely paying attention to Kevin at all, which is kind of ironic considering he was putting me on this gigantic pedestal.

"I grabbed a spoon and took my first bite. It was the best piece of cake I had ever tasted, but when I bit down, my teeth hit something hard."

Michael's expression changed from interest to incredulity. I could tell that he knew what was coming next.

"I pulled out the diamond ring from my mouth. I stared at it half in amazement, because it was so beautiful, half in disgust, because it was covering in spit and cake. Then I hear a 'Rose, will you marry me?"

Michael looked scared as he glanced down at my left hand but was placated when he found it empty.

"You said no," he said.

"No," I replied. "I said, word-for-word, 'You aren't being serious, right?' Which is not the right sentence you are supposed to say, considering he was obviously being very serious. I couldn't help it though. I was in shock."

"Why?" Michael then asked. I couldn't read his expression anymore.

"Because. It is absolutely ridiculous! It was super cliché, the entire ring in the cake thing. Plus we have been dating for less than a year, and he had a spending problem, and I am only twenty-one! There was no way I was getting married, and if he paid any attention, he would have known that!" I exclaimed.

Then I started to laugh, even though nothing about it was funny. After a moment Michael joined in too.

We were laughing hysterically when Scorpius barged into Michael's room saying, "Michael! I need to borro—"

He stopped when he noticed me in the room, though. "What's going on," he asked instead.

Michael replied while still laughing, "Kevin proposed to Rose!"

Scorpius glanced at my left hand in horror, also.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I am not going to marry Kevin!"

"So what's so funny?" Scorpius then asked, very confused.

I retold the story to him. After, he joined in on the laughter also.

"You know what the worst part is?" I then asked, while wiping a tear from my eye.

"You mean him proposing wasn't the worst part?" Scorpius then asked, still laughing.

"No," I said. "The worst part was that he stuck me with the bill! After all of the effort I put into trying to get him to not buy things for me, he stuck me with the bill!"

"I will buy you dinner for a month," Scorpius replied. "I am just glad that you aren't going to marry that git."


	29. August 24, 2027

**August 24, 2027:**

"Tom, give me a strong one," I said as I walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

I had a hard day at work. The boss was being annoying, and everything I touched seemed to fall to pieces. I told the Michael that I would be home late. He offered to come and meet me somewhere, but I could tell that he really wanted to go home. Maybe he had a hard day at work, too, and just knows how to deal with it correctly.

I was kind of upset about it, though. Lately my boys have been really absent. I understood Scorpius being busy. This was the most important time of his career. The Quidditch Cup was only days away, and his team was playing. He was playing. I was super proud of him, but practices had been basically doubled. And when he wasn't practicing, he was reviewing techniques or studying up on his opponents. Scorpius was eating, dreaming, and breathing Quidditch.

On the other hand, Michael had been strangely busy. He always wanted to go home and sleep, or he would be out with work friends. It was strange, because usually he would be so willing to do whatever I wanted. He is usually always there for me, so much to the point where he is willing to drop anything he is doing to help me out. It was strange that I wasn't seeing him at least four times before I get home. Plus I have been using our mirrors way too much. I didn't like it.

Tom gave me one glance and sent over two firewhiskies and said, "You look like you got trampled by a troll. Don't worry. These are on me."

Sometimes I really loved that guy.

"I am in a slump, Tom," I replied, taking a big gulp out of the first cup. It burned slightly as the liquid went down my throat. I instantly felt a little bit warmer and a little bit fuzzier. Tonight was going to be a long night.

"I need something good to happen," I then said. "Nothing has necessarily been bad, you know? It's just, nothing has been going well. My boss sucks, my friends don't want to hang out with me anymore, and all relationships tend to end with me realizing that I am dating a sleazeball!"

I swirled the contents of the second drink before downing that one too. That one didn't make me feel as warm and fuzzy.

"Then I guess today is your lucky day," I heard a person behind me say.

I spun on the barstool to find a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. It took me a second before I realized that I recognized him, and another to place exactly how I knew him. When I did, though, I was totally and completely in shock.

"Theo?" I asked in disbelief.

"Hey there, Sunshine. You miss me?" he merely replied, as he sat down on the stool next to my own.

"Oh my God. It really is you."

He chuckled and said, "It's not like I came back from the dead or anything."

I looked up at the ceiling and mentally whispered, _Thank you!_

I then looked back at Theo and said, "You may as well have. America is probably farther away from here than hell is anyways."

He started to laugh. "Glad to see you are still as sarcastic as ever."

"Hey, after a couple more drinks I don't think you will be as glad," I replied. He laughed some more.

"What brought you back to this side of the pond anyways?" I then asked.

"Well, I moved to the states. I lived there for a while, moving occasionally. Finally I got out of school, and I moved into an apartment. I was in between jobs, when I got an offer that I couldn't refuse. And here I am."

"Wow, you have an accent now and everything. You are practically an all-American boy," I replied, laughing.

"Sweetie, I do believe it's you that has the accent."

"And feisty too. You are definitely not the Theo I remember."

He smiled and gestured to Tom to bring another round of drinks. "I really shouldn't," I told him, as Tom approached with the drinks. "I need to get going soon, and my flat is all the way across town. Plus, I don't think you will be able to handle the 'I-Had-Too-Many-Drinks Rose.' She's a bit scary."

Tom gave me a look as he set the drinks in front of Theo and me. I knew exactly what he was thinking. _You asked for something good. Now don't go and throw it away when it is given to you on a silver platter. _

"I'll take my chances," he merely replied, knocking back his drink. "Besides, we do have a lot of catching up to do."

Theo and I talked for hours. I learned that he was working as an Auror here. Apparently my uncle sought him out, because he did something pretty amazing in the United States. He wouldn't disclose what his special service was though. "It's classified," he kept on saying with an obnoxious smirk.

He would then tell me stories of some of his rather scary girlfriends. One tried to get him to move in with her and her nineteen cats. Another wanted to elope with him after knowing each other for three weeks. One thought that because he wouldn't share a piece of gum with her, it meant that he wanted to break up.

"Hey! At least yours seemed pretty entertaining," I replied. "Mine all cheat on me, or become jealous of my boys, or propose!"

He started to laugh, and I joined in.

"I am just glad that you had about as much luck in that department as I have," he then said. "For a while there, I thought I was the only one on this earth that didn't know how to pick them."

"You don't understand how happy I am that you are here," I then said out of the blue. "You don't know how much I have missed you."

I didn't even know how much I missed Theo until just now. I remember why I liked him so much when we were in school. He was funny, nice, and smart. Plus he was just a great guy to be around. You felt good when you were with him, and there was never a dull moment. He could keep a conversation with a rock, and I just loved spending time with him.

"Look," he said, gesturing to my chest. "You still have my necklace."

"Oh, yeah. I guess I do."

He then smirked.

"Don't get too cocky," I replied. "I tried to get rid of it. Actually I broke it."

"Did you, now?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "After all the work and money I spent on it for you? Rose Weasley, did anybody teach you manners in that chaotic ginger household?"

I hit him lightly before saying, "Yeah, but Michael knows me too well. He fixed it, and forced me to keep it on. I never take it off."

For some reason, I didn't tell him about when I took it off when I was dating Michael and Scorpius. It just didn't seem to matter at the moment.

"Seems like I did something right then," he merely replied.

We continued talking for most of the night. I had just finished my thousandth laughing fit of the night, when Tom came over. "Unless you guys want a room," he said, "I am going to have to kick you out of my bar. It's closing time."

"Thanks, Tom," I replied, throwing a couple of Galleons on to the table.

"Hey, isn't the boy supposed to pay?" Theo then asked lightly. "You are making me look like a bad date."

"Oh, this was a date?"

He then surprised me by leaning in and kissing me. It was a short, chaste kiss, but it felt good.

"Of course it was," he said, after pulling back.

I smiled at him. "Let's just say you will pay for the second one."


	30. September 1, 2027

**Part 3: Happily Ever After?  
><strong>

**September 1, 2027:**

"_Alohomora!" _I whispered, unlocking the door to my flat.

I was just getting home from dinner with Theo. This was the first time I have gotten to seen him since our initial meet at the Leaky Cauldron last week. I was coming in later than I usually stay out, but a friend of his just got a promotion. Theo invited me to go out celebrating with them. His friend went home pretty early, and it ended up just being the two of us talking and hanging out and kissing a bit for most of the night.

For some reason I had the feeling that Theo planned on his friend leaving early and just really wanted to get that second date. I can't say that I was upset about it, though. Theo was a really good kisser. He was almost as good as Scorpius.

As soon as I walked in, I felt another presence in the room. A shiver ran down my spine, as I saw a short person skulking in the corner. Neither of my boys or Lily matched this person's stature. "_Lumos!" _I shouted lighting up the room.

"Hey!" I voice I recognized said, as the person—who I now could tell was a girl—across the room started to rub her eyes. "Are you trying to blind me?"

I stood for a moment, feeling like I was looking at a ghost. Then I let out a girly squeal and dashed across the room. I jumped over the couch and flew towards the person. As soon as I possibly could, I threw my arms around Roxanne and let out another squeal.

"Why hello to you too," she replied, while responding to my hug.

Then released her and hit her on the head pretty hard.

"Hey! What was that for?" she exclaimed, rubbing the spot on her head.

"Where have you been! You haven't sent a letter in weeks! I have been sending owls, and you haven't replied to any of them! I was becoming extremely worried! I have freaking missed you!" I shouted at her.

She smiled and replied, "Gosh, if I knew I would get this kind of welcome, I would have just stayed in Paris."

"I am not joking, Roxanne," I said, trying my best to not smile. "You can't just go off gallivanting across the world and not send at least a postcard every week. I was about to organize a search party to locate you and bring you home."

"Finding birds is expensive," she merely replied, shrugging off my worry. "Some of these countries are very serious about their birds."

"Don't lie to me, Roxanne," I then said. "I know you way better than that. In the beginning your letters were very consistent. I would always hear from you at least a couple times a week. Then you started talking about some guy, and then the letters came after larger time gaps."

"Oh, you remember him?" Roxanne replied.

"Remember him? Of course I remember him. You talked about him for pages and pages. What was his name? Henry Kline? Whatever happened to the guy? Did you leave him on the side of the road somewhere in Croatia or something, because you haven't mentioned anything about him in the two letters I have gotten in the past six weeks?"

She turned red and didn't reply at first. This only made my curiosity grow.

"Roxanne, what are you not telling me?" I asked.

She bit her bottom lip, as she deliberated whether or not she should tell me. Finally she opened her mouth, pulled up her left finger, and said nonchalantly, "I am engaged."

There was a beautiful diamond ring on her left ring finger. It caught the light perfectly and sent rainbows across the room. It was so huge that I chastised myself for not noticing it sooner.

"Roxanne," I merely whispered, as I grabbed her hand to get a better view of her ring. "It's beautiful."

Then I hit her again.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME! WHERE IS HE ANYWAYS? SHOULDN'T HE BE HERE?" I then exclaimed.

"Rose, you should really stop shouting or you are going to wake up the rest of the flat. And I don't particularly want to see Scorpius with bed head. It would ruin my perfect picture of one of the most attractive men on earth."

"I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE IF I WAKE UP THE REST OF THE WORLD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! WHY ARE YOU LEAVING OUT VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS! LIKE YOU ARE GETTING FREAKING MARRIED! I WANT TO MEET THIS GUY! I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO GIVE HIM A PROPER 'DON'T YOU HURT HER OR I'LL KILL YOU SPEECH!'"

"Rose, calm down and I will tell you the entire story," she then said, after rolling her eyes. She walked over to my couch and sat down.

"We met in Paris last February. I was sick of meeting cute guys in bars and just having a quick snog. I wanted the real thing. You know. The kind of love we would talk about when we were still in Hogwarts.

"I went back there, because I am kind of a romantic, and I thought I might find true love there or whatever. I guess the myths are pretty close, though, because we just ran into each other on day and I instantly knew he was the one I was looking for. He said that he knew instantly too. Love at first sight. See I told you it's real.

"He was born here in England like me. He moved to Paris, because he loves France. He loves the food, the mopeds, the people. He really has a love for architecture, though. He was very creative in his designs also, creating building that I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"He was previously married, and had two kids. Both girls. I don't even care though, because I am totally and completely in love with him," she said, dreamily.

"Ohmygosh! Roxanne! That is so exciting!"

She smiled and blushed the traditional Weasley red. It only made me happier.

"So we were dating for a while. I lived with him in his small flat in downtown flat. I fell completely in love with his daughters. Hailey is three and Jaime is five. My life was sorta perfect for a while there. I didn't think anything could get any better. Then he proposed. It was super cheesy—under the Eiffel Tower and everything—but I didn't care. It was everything I dreamed about and more."

"Oh, Roxanne," I said, pulling her into a hug. "I can't believe you found it. I guess if anybody would, you would. You do look in every guy you meet. But it is for real, isn't it. I can just tell that you really love him. I am so extremely happy for you."

She smiled and zoned out a bit. I could tell that she was thinking about him.

I really was happy for her, but I was not going to lie. I was also kinda jealous. Sometimes I felt like everything was handed to her on a silver platter. She always said the right things and wore the right clothes. And even though she had a bit of a reputation, everyone still liked her. So of course it would be beautiful, funny, slutty Roxanne who would find true love. She was so sure of it, too. While I am still here, floundering with every boyfriend I have ever had.

"So where is this amazing guy that you can only sing praises about?" I then asked, bringing her out of her reverie.

"He is back in Paris. I am only here for the night. I thought you would appreciate hearing about my recent engagement in person instead of me sending you a short, impersonal letter," she replied.

"When do I get to meet him then!" I then exclaimed. "I am dying here, Roxanne. I need to meet the guy who stole my best friend's heart!"

She rolled her eyes before saying, "We are both coming back next month to break the news to my parents. You can definitely meet him then."

"Roxanne! You are so freaking lucky!"

"Me? I should be saying the same to you. From what I hear you have been out with a blast from the past tonight. One that I faintly recall that you were a bit head over heels for," she then said slyly.

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. "I should have guessed Michael would tell you."

"Michael? No, Scorpius. He was the only one here when I arrived."

I felt my brow furrow. "Michael wasn't home? He told me that he was coming straight home after work."

"He and Lily walked in together around eleven," she merely replied. "He said something about her asking him if he wanted to go out before they both went to bed. Scorpius let me in. We talked for a bit before he also went to bed. Man, I forgot how attractive your boys are. I was very happy when they were both in the room."

I laughed and lightly hit her arm.

"Anyways," she then continued. "Scorpius didn't seem too happy that you were out with Theo. I thought you said that he was over you. You would think he would be. It's been like three years since you guys broke up, right?"

"Wait," I said, very confused. "What are you talking about? He is definitely over me. We are both over each other. It was just puppy dog love or whatever."

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "Because the Scorpius I saw was very unhappy that you were out with a guy."

I thought about it for a second. It was very strange. I never got the feeling from Scorpius that he still liked me. And he always flirted with me, but that wasn't weird. He has always flirted with me. It's just part of our relationship. I would be more worried if he didn't. Of course we snogged occasionally, but that was usually to appease his superstitious needs.

"That's probably it!" I then exclaimed.

"What?"

I then explained how Scorpius thought he was better when he snogged me before he played a game. "He's probably just upset because the Quidditch Cup is this weekend, and he doesn't think he can kiss me if I am dating someone," I said, calmly.

"That is messed up," Roxanne then said.

I shrugged. "Hey, you know Scorpius and his weird superstitions."

"Sure," she merely replied. I could tell that she didn't believe me, but I let the topic drop. I wasn't about to get into a long conversation debating whether or not Scorpius was still in love with me, which would include a breakdown of every sentence he has ever said to me in the past three years.

"So what about Theo," she then asked. "Don't you think it's a bit strange that you would just find him in the Leaky Cauldron after all these years?"

"I would like to believe it's fate working for me for once in my life," I merely replied.

"So you still like him. So it wasn't just 'puppy dog love' or whatever you call it?"

I thought about it for a second. "I don't think so. I really liked him, and it really broke me when he left."

"It really broke you when Scorpius left too," she then pointed out.

"Yeah, but he is also one of my best friends. I think I would have been very upset that he was leaving me, whether or not I was dating him at the time. And besides, I still wear the necklace that Theo gave me from a thousand years ago," I replied, pulling the necklace out from under my shirt.

I didn't mention the fact that I did take it off when I was dating Scorpius, because I didn't want Roxanne to turn that into an argument against my logic. It was slightly how adamant she was about Scorpius and me.

We both talked for the rest of the night. We didn't get to bed until after the sun rose, and Michael walked out of his bedroom asking what we wanted for breakfast.

"We probably should get some sleep," Roxanne said. "I do need to get back to Henry tonight."

I frowned. I was sad that she was leaving so soon, but I knew she really wanted to get back to him. I could tell by the way she acted. I felt another pang of jealousy run through me.


	31. January 13, 2028

**January 13, 2028:**

I walked into the Leaky Cauldron after work and found both Michael and Scorpius sitting at the bar. They were both facing away from me. Michael was casually speaking with Tom. He was in jeans and a tight t-shirt because he was coming from his parents' house. They still weren't entirely comfortable with magic, and he always tried to make it easier on them. I wasn't complaining though, because the shirt made him look even more muscular. I didn't even know that was possible.

Scorpius, on the other hand, looked like he just rolled out of bed. Honestly, that is probably what he did. He was out practically all night last night, partying. He looked completely hung over. He was leaning his head on the counter and was nursing what looked to be an anti-headache potion. His hair was messy, and his shirt was slightly wrinkled. Somehow he still managed to look like a god. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Tom gestured in my direction, and Michael turned around. His grin spread all the way to his ears almost instantly. I responded likewise, as a warm feeling grew in my stomach. I loved it how whenever Michael sees me, he always looks like he hasn't seen me for a thousand years.

Scorpius didn't turn around though. He just slowly pulled the cup he was holding to his lips, and then downed its entire contents.

I sat down in between the both of them, on the chair that Michael was saving for me. It was his idea to start back up our Thursday nights from back in our Hogwarts days after I complained to him that I feel like I never see him anymore. I actually couldn't remember the last time I hung out with both of my boys at the same time or the last time that I saw them without anybody else.

I felt a wave of depression spread through me then. It was sad. The three of us were practically inseparable during our Hogwarts days. We made a point to hang out at least once a week, and it was usually more. I told Michael every single detail about my life back then, and now I rarely see him even though we live in the same flat. And I would always be doing something totally and completely ridiculous with Scorpius, but now he didn't even invite me to go to that party last night with him. So I jumped at the suggestion of starting our Thursdays back up again.

"So how are you Rosie Posie?" Michael asked, as Tom brought me a glass of fire whiskey.

I had spent way too much time there, if Tom already knew what I was going to order even before I ordered it.

"Great actually. I can't say the same for my dear Scorpius, though," I replied, pulling him into a large hug.

He groaned and replied, "Rose! Gerroff!"

Michael chuckled.

"I think it is quite funny also," I replied, smiling. "The first party Scorpius has been to in months, and he is already crashing the day after. You used to be able to get through two parties every night for a week, and still be up early enough the next morning to eat two loaves of toast. I think our dear Scorpius is losing his touch."

"Hey!" Scorpius then exclaimed. "In my defense, I did have to deal with an ex-girlfriend of mine last night. This definitely caused me to drink a bit more than I should have."

"Let me guess. You are just mad because she came with a date that was equally or even more attractive than you, and you were flying solo?" Michael then chimed.

"Piss off," Scorpius snapped, gesturing to Tom to bring him another anti-headache potion. This just caused Michael and me to burst into another round of laughter.

After my laughter had subsided, I said, "I can't believe I would see the day when Scorpius Malfoy would go out without a girl by his side or at the very least, someone he is trying to hook up with."

"I like to think that I am maturing," Scorpius said, after downing the second brew. The color came back into his face almost instantly, and he didn't look like he would fall over at any moment anymore.

Michael and I started laughing again at his comment.

"No, seriously," Scorpius then said, while rolling his eyes. "I think I want a real girlfriend. I haven't had one of those since Rose and I broke up. Hook ups and partying every night just doesn't seem as fun anymore."

At first Michael and I didn't say anything. We were both shocked. Maybe our little Scorpius was actually growing up.

"I am proud of you, mate," Michael said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," I replied. "But you and I may have to start watching out for Michael here. I think he is taking your spot. He has been out the most out of the three of us in the last couple of months. That is definitely the first in the entire time we have known him."

Scorpius grinned and said, "If I didn't know any better, I would guess that Michael is seeing someone."

Michael tried to stay calm and not let the statement faze him, but a slight pick-ish tinge to his cheeks gave him away.

"Yeah, he is definitely seeing someone," I replied, feeling a devilish grin spread on my face.

"Knowing him, she is probably some sort of librarian or something boring like that," Scorpius then said.

"Or a nurse," I added.

"No! I got it!" Scorpius then exclaimed. "She is obviously a co-worker!"

"That is definitely it. He is probably shagging her on top of his desk every night. That's why he has been coming home so late. Work is just getting way too much fun."

"I can just picture her now. You know, Michael. He definitely has a type. She is a skinny ginger, with long legs. That's why he is attracted to all you Weasleys," Scorpius then said.

Michael's blush turned a deeper shade of red, and Scorpius and I burst into laughter. I had to wipe away the tears from my eyes because I was laughing so hard. I had forgotten how satisfying it was to make Michael uncomfortable.

"Well, what about Rosie Posie over here and her boy toy?" Michael then said, trying to turn the conversation.

Both Scorpius and I instantly became silent.

I liked Theo. I really did, but there was something wrong. I felt like he was way different from when we were dating during our fifth year. Yes, I loved hanging out with him, and he is a sweet guy. But that was all there was. I remembered there being something between us. Something more. Now, I feel like there was just fun times and memories of the past. I was definitely cursed. All my boyfriends—even the ones that I knew were absolutely good before I started dating them—seem to not feel right with me. It's like all of my relationships were destined to be duds.

"He's not my 'boy toy,' and from what I can remember, you guys actually like him. Way more than you have ever liked any of my other boyfriends," I then said, breaking the silence.

"That's just because Theo knows to be afraid of Scorpius and me," Michael said. "He did live with us for four and a half years. He knows we could tear him to shreds if he ever hurt you again."

"And we have been over this before, Rose," Scorpius added. "We do not like your boyfriends because you have terrible taste in guys."

"Why do you guys always like to point that out?" I asked him.

"Because you just do. Don't question it," He replied.

"Even I can't deny that it is the truth, and I stick up for you a lot," Michael replied.

"I guess both of you are horrible boyfriend then," I then pointed out.

It took a second for the comment to set in, but when it did both of my boys started pouting. Apparently they didn't appreciate the comment.

"Well it doesn't even matter," I said, changing to subject before they started to refuse to talk to me for the rest of the night. "I don't feel it with Theo."

Scorpius smirked and said, "What? Is he not as good in bed as you first anticipated? Or was he just better back when we were fifth years? Oh! I got it! He doesn't think _you _are good in bed."

"Gross, Scorpius! I thought you said you were growing up!"

"One step at a time, my dear," he smoothly replied.

I rolled my eyes. "And just so you know. I am a freaking goddess in bed."

"I can second that," Michael then said. It must have been instinctive, though, because the second after that sentence left his mouth he started to blush.

"Wait a second! You shagged Rose?" Scorpius exclaimed.

"And on that note, I think I have had one too many drinks," Michael merely said, while pushing his glass away from him.

"It was just while we were dating," I replied. "I think you snogging with me at random has to be a bit worse."

Scorpius grumbled something that I couldn't hear to himself, and I started to laugh.

"And besides, you know I love you," I then said to cheer him up.

The short statement did just that and more.

If I really thought about it, sometimes I would believe that the three of us were slowly drifting apart. But after seeing Michael and Scorpius just as I picture them—the first bright and perfect, and the second dealing with the consequences from the previous night—I felt reassured that nothing had changed. Not really. We were busy, not drifting.

I thought back to that night during our third year when I wished upon the shooting star. I remembered right before I started dating Michael, thinking that my wish didn't come true. Everything changed in my life. Nothing was the same, and nothing would ever be the same. I was wrong then. We weren't different, just older. I had a good job, a great family, and the best of friends. That was all I ever wanted.


	32. February 1, 2028

**This chapter is cruel. That is all I am going to say.**

* * *

><p><strong>February 1, 2028:<strong>

Scorpius and I were sitting in our living room chatting. We were going to go out to a party, but then I decided I didn't really feel like it. I don't know why, but walking into a room filled with people I know on Scorpius' arms didn't seem too pleasing to me. People could get ideas. Especially since Scorpius has stayed true to his word about no more random hookups. He hasn't been seen with a girl in forever, and I had just broken up with Theo three days before. So if I am seen with him, people will start to get suspicious.

Scorpius decided that he would stay with me then. "Parties are no fun unless there is someone there to make fun of people with you," he said. "I learned that from the last party that I went to."

We sat on the couch and had been talking for over an hour. "It's really sad," Scorpius said. "When did Michael get more fun than the both of us?"

"It's definitely since he has been dating whoever he is dating."

"Wait," Scorpius then said, confusion spreading across his face. "You really think he is dating someone."

"I know he is dating someone. Michael likes to come home every night after work. He likes to sleep and such. The only time he was really willing to go out with me all the time was when we were together."

Scorpius thought about it for a second before saying, "Good for him. I just don't understand why he wouldn't tell us. And just for the record, you and Michael dating was absolutely gross."

I sighed and said, "You really didn't like us together?"

"Of course I didn't," he replied quickly. "You were a terrible match, and I was really worried about Michael."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. That was the last thing I thought I would ever hear. Why would Scorpius be worried about Michael because he was dating me?

"Well think about it this way, every single one of your relationships ended kind of badly," he started.

I thought back to three days ago when I broke up with Theo. He seemed pretty angry that I was breaking up with him. He seemed super jealous of both my boys. I tried to explain to him that we weren't in our fifth years anymore, and things have changed. He said something along the lines of "The only thing that has changed is the fact that you dated Scorpius Malfoy." Then he stormed away, as I stood there confused. I hadn't spoken to him since.

"I guess they do," I agreed.

"You either chew up your boyfriends and spit them out before dumping them—which they usually deserve—or they end up dumping you mostly because your two best friends are guys."

I nodded in agreement, though I wished more than anything that it was different.

Scorpius then continued. "So, I didn't think you were going to change your streak. Since I knew he would never become jealous of me—if anyone knew about our relationship, it was Michael—that only left the first option."

"I would crush him under my fingertips," I replied, now comprehending.

"Exactly," Scorpius merely replied.

_I almost did just that too,_ I thought to myself. Things between Michael and I were getting hard. I was ready to go and break up with him no matter how much it hurt him. I was lucky that he came to the same realization that I did at the right time. If he didn't, I don't think we would be friends anymore.

"And that is the reason why I rather eat a hundred year old puking pastel than see you and Michael date," Scorpius then said. I could tell that he was trying to lighten the mood up a bit and move on from the very serious topic.

"Really? A hundred year old puking pastel? Don't you think that is a bit drastic?" I asked.

"Nope," he said, smiling.

"That's just absolutely disgusting. You are insane, Scorpius Malfoy."

"Well, you are just not as manly as I am," Scorpius replied, looking smug.

I rolled my eyes. "I am proud to say that I am not as manly as you are. And I am also proud to say that I could do anything you can you can. I just choose to be smart and not try out all of your more ridiculous stunts."

"I know one thing that I can do that you can't," Scorpius then said, as a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"What?"

He then leaned in and whispered a crude sex joke in my ear.

"Scorpius!" I whined. "I could have gone my entire life and not heard that!"

He scooted slightly closer, his grin never leaving his face. "Don't try to deny that it turned you on."

"Oh, you caught me red-handed," I replied, sarcasm coloring my voice.

"I know I did," he said getting closer. "It's because you think I am irresistible."

His liquid silver eyes stared straight into my own blue ones, freezing me in place.

I knew I had fallen straight into his trap. I also knew that this is the point where I should be struggling to stop him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Scorpius just had some sort of cruel control over me.

"Oh, I know Scorpius. I am practically groveling at your feet because you are just so alluring," I finally said, just a second too late. Scorpius caught my hesitation and smirked. He was now only inches away from my face.

"As you should be," he said, before closing in the space between the both of us.

A whole rush of feelings instantly flooded through me. Confusion, uncertainty, panic, and maybe even a bit of happiness. I couldn't focus on any of them though. All I could really register was that his lips felt good on my own.

He was kissing me slowly at first. I let my lips part just the slightest. The kiss instantly intensified. His right hand tangled itself into my wavy hair, and the other made its way to my neck. Both of my own went to the back of his head, pulling him closer to me. Scorpius slowly dragged his left hand down the side of my body, pausing briefly at my breast and stopping at my hip. He wrapped his arm around me and easily lifted me into his lap.

Maybe I was just caught up in the moment, but for some reason this kiss felt different than the "good luck" ones that have been scattered over the last couple of years. It felt real and good, and that is what caused the tears to start streaming down my face.

He must have sensed my distress because he pulled away from me and asked, "Rose, why are you crying?"

"Because it isn't real. Nothing between you and I will ever be real again," I replied, tears still falling from my eyes.

"No, Rose, that isn't what I meant by this," he said, softly.

"Then what did you mean?" I snapped back.

"Rose, I lo—"

He was interrupted by the front door opening. I scrambled out of Scorpius' lap and put as much distance between us as I possibly could on such a small couch. I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to look as natural as possible before they walked into the room.

Michael walked in, holding Lily's hand. He was smiling at her as she said, "I had a great night. Thanks, Michael."

_Wait a second, _I thought to myself. _Were they…?_

He pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her waist, and said, "Your welcome."

He then gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

I guess that answered my question.

That was about when Michael noticed that we were sitting on the couch not ten feet away from them.

"Bloody hell," he said, which caused Lily to turn around. When she saw Scorpius and me sitting there, her face turned the traditional Weasley red.

"Uh… hi guys," she managed to somehow say.

"You guys look like you are having fun," Scorpius said behind me. I didn't have to see his face to know that he was smirking. I could practically hear it in his words.

"We were going to tell you," Lily then said frantically.

Michael didn't say anything.

"How did this all happen?" I asked, directing my question towards him.

We just stared at each other from a second before he said, "One night, when you guys were out last October, Lily and I stayed up and talked. We just clicked the night, and although nothing happened, I found that I couldn't stop thinking about her. We kept on hanging out just the two of us, and I just really enjoyed spending time with her. After the Christmas Eve party, Lily and I went home. She was wearing that midnight blue dress, and she just looked absolutely beautiful. I just could resist, so I kissed her."

He then looked straight at her. She was blushing a deeper shade of red than before, but she was looking back at him.

She then said, still looking at Michael, "You know I have always been practically head over heels for Michael. Even before he started dating Roxanne back when we were in school have I fancied him. Of course, I never thought that anything would come out of it, even though I hoped with all of my heart. Eventually I got mostly over it. I started dating other guys and such, but it never felt right. It wasn't perfect. Then I started hanging out with Michael. He is funny and charming. I practically died when he kissed me."

"Well, congratulations you too," Scorpius said sincerely.

I smiled and also said, "Yeah. I couldn't think of a more perfect couple."

Even though I meant what I said, I was kind of jealous at the same time. First of all, Michael was one of my few real loves. We may have not been soul mates, but he was still my ex. I didn't like the idea of another girl dating him, just like I didn't like the idea of another girl dating Scorpius. Especially if that girl was my cousin.

Secondly, I was frustrated by the fact that Michael, Lily, and Roxanne all found the loves of their lives, while I was still sitting on my couch snogging Scorpius every couple of weeks. I wanted my knight in shining armor. I wanted to fall in love for real. I was dome waiting. I wanted it now.

I looked back at Michael and Lily and instantly felt a pang of guilt go through me. They were both still staring at each other, smiling slightly. It looked like they were having a conversation with just their eyes, and maybe they were. Anybody could see that they really loved each other. Even though Michael and I may not have been, it was evident that Lily and him were could mates. How could I ever be bitter about that?

"Thanks guys," Lily said. She yawned before continuing, "Anyways, it has been a long night. I think I am going to bed."

"Let me walk you bed," Michael said politely. He was such a good boyfriend.

"I think I am going to bed too," I then said, not wanting to be in the room alone with Scorpius again.

"Rose, wait—" Scorpius called as I got up off the couch.

"Goodnight, Scorpius," I curtly said, cutting him off without turning around.

Michael shot me a look that said, _Is everything alright?_

_I don't want to talk about it right now,_ I mentally sent back.

Michael continued to look at my worriedly as I made my way to my room.

I quickly changed into my pajamas and curled into my bed. Thoughts of Scorpius floated around in my head as I tried to calm myself enough to fall asleep. There was a dull pain in my heart that grew as I thought more about the situation. Scorpius was my best friend, but for some reason I couldn't resist him at the same time. I was over him. I had been for a long time. Then why did I continue to let him trap me? Even if it didn't mean anything, it still wasn't good, was it?

A soft tapping on my window interrupted my thoughts. There was an owl that I didn't recognize outside. I walked over and opened the window. The owl waited for me to hold out my hand. Once I did, he dropped the letter into it and flew away. Apparently he was in a rush, because he never even stopped.

I opened the envelope, curious as to who was sending me a letter at this time of night. I glanced over the neat script, and when I finished, I let out a gasp.

I ran back into the living room. Michael and Scorpius were talking quietly talking. Lily had already gone to bed. It seemed like my boys were having some sort of argument, but they stopped when they noticed I was there.

I didn't really care. At that moment, tears welled up into my eyes for the second time that night. I then somehow managed to say much more calmly than I actually felt, "Roxanne is dead."


	33. February 7, 2028

**February 7, 2028:**

I was laying on the couch in my living room. Everybody else was in their rooms probably sleeping because it was late. I was still dressed and hadn't moved from my current position for over a couple of hours. My black dress, which was one of my favorites previously, seemed too gothic all of a sudden. My hair was pulled back. I felt tired and sad. My eyes were puffing, and my nose looked perpetually red. Today was a rough day.

Every second of today was pure torture. I was ready on time for once in my entire life. I had been ready for about half an hour before we were supposed to leave, but like now, I couldn't bring myself to move. How could something so ridiculous happen so soon? Roxanne was just getting started. She was getting married this June. She didn't get to have kids, or live happily ever after.

"Rose! Hurry up! We are going to be late!" I heard Michael shout from the other room.

Finally he came in, grabbed my hand, and helped me to the funeral. It was a nice ceremony. There was a minister who talked about how fun and loving Roxanne was. Though his words were true, they didn't capture her. His general description of the girl he obviously didn't know personally didn't include that she was spontaneous. It didn't include that she loved having fun. It didn't include how she was just a naturally great person.

He fiancée was there. It was only the second time I have ever met him, but I could tell without a doubt that he was more in love with her than anybody else on this earth. His whole entire world looked like it shattered. I only hoped for his sake that he could move on.

I sat between Michael and Scorpius. Michael held Lily's hand the entire time, as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. Michael tried to stay strong, but I could tell that he was hurting also. He and Roxanne were kind of close, though nowhere near as close as she and I were. Not wanting to invade on Michael, I chose to use Scorpius as my own headrest, even though I was still mad at him. I leaned my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and calmly rubbed small circles into my own shoulder with his thumb.

It was tough to listen to what had happened to her. The worst part was that she didn't even die in style like she would have wanted to. She got distracted while Apparating and ended up splinching. The only problem was that the splinch was fatal. They put her back together, of course, but it was too late by that time. She was already gone.

Somehow we made it back home. I laid down on the couch, because standing took way too much effort at the time. Now I felt frozen. Like if I just continue to lay here, everything would be okay. I wouldn't have to worry about Roxanne's death, or any other terrible thing. I could just go to sleep and never wake up again. That would solve all my problems, but then again it wouldn't.

She was just gone.

I was lying on a couch staring at a wall, and one of my best friends in the entire world, my own cousin, was dead. Life was cruel. Life was vicious. It chewed you up, spit you out, and left everybody you knew to clean up the mess.

I was done being sad. I was angry. Furious. It wasn't fair. How could this have happened? How could something so impossible happen?

The anger built up inside of me until I couldn't resist it anymore. I let out a loud, blood-curdling scream. It sounds like I was actually trying to kill someone, and it even scared me.

Lily walked out of her room, and Michael walked out of his soon after. I continued to scream, as they both just stared at me. Neither knew what to do. Did they let me blow off all my steam or try to calm me down before I wake up the rest of the building?

I reached for the pillow closest to me and threw it as hard as I could at the wall I was staring intently at all afternoon. It wasn't as satisfying as I first anticipated, so I threw another. And two more after that.

I was reaching towards a paperweight that was on the small table next to the couch, when someone grabbed my hand to stop me. I was expecting Michael, but instead I found liquid silver eyes full of worry and their own sadness looking at me.

He picked me up slowly like I was as light as a feather. I instantly started thrashing. I was never prone to temper tantrums, so this was strange, even for me. I kept on kicking and screaming, but he never let go of me as he made his way to my bedroom. All he did was pull me tighter to him.

I vaguely remember hearing Michael say, "Do you need my help?"

Scorpius replied, "No, I think I can handle this one."

As he opened my door, I felt every single ounce of my previous energy leave me. I went from crazy, pissed off toddler to being practically put under a sleeping potion in a matter of seconds.

Scorpius gently laid me on my bed. He tried untangling his arms from me, but I grabbed on to him and wouldn't let go.

"Please," I pleaded. "Stay with me. I can't…"

I could see him debating it. It was probably a terrible idea, but I didn't care at the moment. I just said please one more time and watched as his self-control crumbled. He moved me over slightly and laid down next me.

He was warm and large. Just like a teddy bear. I curled myself into his side. My head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. I could feel him tense for the slightest second before he relaxed. He wrapped both of his arms around me and whispered, "Go to sleep, Rose."

"She's gone, Scorp," I replied, using the nickname that I haven't used since we were in our third year.

"I know."

"She's gone. Dead."

"Shhh…" he then said. "It's going to be alright."

The tears started to pour out of my eyes, and sobs shook my entire body. "She was my best friend, and now she is dead."

"It's alright. I promise," he said. "Now go to bed."

I closed my eyes and curled up tight into him. He smelled good, though I couldn't place the exact scent. It was distinctly Scorpius, though. I would know it anywhere.

I could feel myself drifting into an uneasy sleep. Dreams of Roxanne were scatter throughout the night. The last thing I remembered hearing was Scorpius saying, "I love you, Rose."

Though I wasn't exactly sure if it actually happened. That could have just been another cruel dream.


	34. October 8, 2028

**October 8, 2028:**

"Please. Please, don't go," I kept on shouting.

He wasn't listening to me. He kept on walking away. I felt myself starting to cry. He couldn't leave me. All I needed was to see those liquid silver eyes. I needed to see all the love and happiness that hid behind them. I needed him.

"You told me that you would always stay with me!"

He stopped.

"You told me that you would always be here for me!"

He turned around.

"You told me that you loved me," I then whispered.

His liquid silver eyes pierced into me, like they were trying to look through my soul. He didn't move, and neither did I. I could tell that he thought I was pathetic. I was crying over nothing. He wasn't mine to keep. I had no control over him.

I desperately wanted more than anything for all of those statements to be true, though. I wanted him to stay with me, to be here for me, to love me. Because even though he wasn't mine, I was his. He had my heart. It was his to keep. _I _was his to keep. Totally and completely.

He then chuckled, cruelly. He knew I was pathetic. He knew it would break me if he walked away. He knew I was in the palm of his hand. He knew and didn't care.

After another second of him staring at me, he turned back around and continued walking. He never glanced back, and he took my heart with him.

I woke up from the dream, terrified, though I didn't know why. I couldn't remember most of the details, but I did remember Scorpius being in it. Any dream with Scorpius in it couldn't be bad, could it? Then why did I get the feeling that this was one of my worst nightmares. I couldn't stop shaking. I was gasping for my breath.

I hadn't had a nightmare like that in a while. Not since that night after Roxanne's funeral. That was a tough night, but Scorpius definitely helped me through it. He helped me more than he would ever know. The next morning woke up to him being inches from my face and a sort of peace flooded through my body. I wasn't happy or sad. I was just perfectly content. Like I could wake up like this every morning and never feel unhappy again. There was so much truth to that statement.

Scorpius was still asleep. I almost couldn't believe it, but he was even more beautiful asleep than he was awake. His face looked calm and completely smooth. His lips were parted slightly. His light blonde hair was messed up. The only downside was that I couldn't see him liquid silver eyes.

I was still curled around him, neither of us moving at all since we fell asleep. I took a deep breath, taking in his scent. Then he woke up and smiled at me. The days after that seemed to come a bit easier.

If I were being honest, even though it might sounds horrible, my life didn't change all that much after Roxanne died. I was used to her being out of my everyday life. I went back to work, cheered Scorpius on at Quidditch games, and complained to Michael about my life. Days passed. Then weeks. Then months. Scorpius and Michael always kept an eye out for me, but not any more than they did before Roxanne's death. Everything seemed absolutely normal. Just like it always was.

It didn't really hit me that she was gone forever until a couple weeks later when I hadn't received a letter from her in a while, and that was when I realized I never would again. I didn't cry then, though. I prided myself on being strong. I was pretty much strong throughout the entire ordeal, except for that night.

That's why I was so surprised that I had a nightmare again. The last remnants of the dream left my mind. I usually didn't remember my dreams, and this one was no different. It troubled me that Scorpius was in one of my nightmares, though.

It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, I realized what woke me up. There was a tall, dark figure hovering over my bed. I didn't recognize the man, and I instantly felt terrified. More so than a couple of seconds ago.

I went with my first instinct and let out a scream, but the man quickly covered my mouth. He smiled at me, but it was the creepiest smile I had ever seen. His teeth seemed to glow in the darkness. It was like he enjoyed seeing how terrified I was. He roughly pulled me out of bed.

I feebly attempted to reach my wand that was located on my nightstand, but the man pinned both arms to my side.

That was when my door then burst open, and the light turned on. Both Michael and Scorpius were in the doorway. Their eyes widened as they realized what was going on. The man gave them one of his creepy smiles, as the both shouted curses at him with their wands pointed. Flashes of red and purple light filled the room, but they were a second too late.

The man had already Disapparated, with me with him.

We appeared into a room. It was roughly the same size as my own bedroom, but that was where the similarities stopped. There was nothing in it except for a naked bulb that was on and hanging from the ceiling. The light was dim, but it was enough to get a good look at the man for the first time.

He was tall and had dark hair. His eyes were completely black, and they had a bit of an insane glint to them. He was smiling again. His teeth were perfect. All of them were straight and bleach white. His grin reached from ear to ear, it was almost impossibly large. A shiver ran down my spine.

"Who are you?" I managed to ask, sounding a lot braver than I felt. My dad taught me that I should always at least pretend to not be afraid in situations like this. It made sure that your captor wouldn't get inside your head and made it look like it would take a lot more to break you down.

"Dmitri Dolohov. At your service," he replied. He then dipped into a large bow from his waist. His smile never dropped. He was enjoying this way too much. It was like he was playing a game with me. Maybe he was.

"Dolohov," I said, the name triggering something in my memory. "You are a Death Eater. Or the son of one judging by your age."

His grinned widened. "You are a lot smarter than you appear."

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing from you, exactly. All I want is to see your father's pretty little face when he sees you on his doorstep. Dead."

I felt the color drain out of my face for the first time in my life. My heartbeat quickened as my skin went ice cold. I felt like I was about to throw up. Death didn't sound like fun. I could tell that he actually meant what he said too. There was definitely insanity in his eyes. That meant he would be totally unpredictable.

I tried my best to keep my composure, but I could hear my voice start to shake as I said, "And why would you want to do that?"

He started walking towards the door. He threw over his shoulder, "All in good time, my dear. Now go to sleep, Little Lily. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We want to make sure you are well rested."

He turned and winked at me before closing the door. I heard the lock click behind him. I ran to the door after him anyways. First I jiggled it, hoping I could somehow manage to undo the lock. Then I tried to unlock the door by magic, but I didn't have my wand. There was nothing else in the room I could theoretically channel my magic through. I was trapped. And I was going to die.

Then I scolded myself for thinking that. Michael and Scorpius would contact my parents. My dad was an Auror. They will know how to find me, and I will fight until they get here. I was smart. I could probably find some way out. I promised myself that I would stay alive until either they got here or I escaped.

I slid against the wall, sat down, and curled into a tight ball. I then whispered, "I am not Lily."

For some reason, after I said that my brain couldn't think of anything else. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through my veins, the stress of the situation, or a nasty combination of the both, but I couldn't focus on anything except for the fact that this guy thought I was Lily. "You got it wrong!" I shouted. "I am not Lily!"

He kidnapped a person, and he didn't even do right. He grabbed the WRONG PERSON! For a second I wished that he would have grabbed the right person, I wouldn't have to be in this mess. Then Lily's sweet, innocent face popped into my head, and guilt washed over me. Lily would not be able to handle this. I wasn't even sure I could handle this.

My kidnapper was an insane idiot. That would only make escaping that much easier. I could outwit him.

Kidnapper. It was strange to think about. Then I said it out loud. It felt equally as strange on my tongue.

Everyone goes through life expecting that we will only experience the good thing in life. We hear about people being taken from their homes and killed, but we never think that that person could have been us. We all just assume that it will be a person across town or maybe even the person next door.

The truth is that none of us are immune to the bad things in life. In the past year, my best friend died, and I was taken from my home. It was all luck. Lily was lucky that Dmitri Dolohov Apparated into my room and not hers. She was lucky that we looked similar, and that he probably only ever heard a general description of her. Ginger hair. Freckles. Weasley. We both fit the description perfectly.

I found a white pebble on the floor next to me. It made me smile. There was his second mistake. The room wasn't completely empty. He missed this small, white rock. It was barely larger than my fingernail. This small, rock could be the thing that decides between my escape and my death. I scratched a white mark into the floor, using the rock. I then put it into the pocket of my pajamas. Day 1.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. I know I am tossing a bunch of curve balls and complete chaos breaks out within a couple of short chapters. If you just be patient, all of this will work itself out. I do have a plan, even though it may not seem like it at the moment. <strong>

**Until next time;)  
><strong>


	35. October 14, 2028

**October 14, 2028:**

I was sitting on the side of the room farthest from the door, but still facing it so I could see when that monster would be coming back in. The only time he ever did was to give me small meals. He would quickly leave the tray by the door and then lock it again right after he left. Of course he would use a Freezing Charm on me before I could do anything. He was quick. Very quick.

I have tried many different ways of attacking him. That's how he started putting the Freezing Charm on me. I would scream and trash at him every chance I got. He never got close enough to me.

One time, in one of my efforts of escape, I sat right next to the door so I could attack him before he froze me. Before I could even make a move at him, Dolohov had already hit me hard in the face. I am pretty sure it left a black eye, but I can't be positive. There is nothing I can use as a mirror.

"Bad Lily," he then said after he froze me. "You should know better. Feeble attempts at escape won't do you any good."

As always, I let out a mental scream in place of a real one when he called me that. I didn't try telling him again that he grabbed the wrong Weasley after that first night of shouting, though. First of all, that wouldn't guarantee my escape, and second, I didn't want Lily, or anybody else for that matter, to be stuck in here like I am. It was torture.

I gave up on the attack method. It wasn't working, and using my eye as an example, this guy was obviously violent. For some reason he has kept me alive this long. I don't want to push it. So I sat looking at the door. Waiting for him. I have been sitting in this same position the last couple of times he has brought food.

Sometime in the next couple of hours Dolohov unlocked the door, cracked it open, and said quietly, "_Immobulus._" He then opened the door all the way and gave me one of his creepiest smiles yet.

He wasn't holding any food this time. Instead he walked in farther than he ever has and sat down right in front of me. His knees were touching my own. I mentally cringed at his touch. I wanted him away from me.

"I am happy to see that you have stopped resisting, my dear Lily."

_I hate you,_ I thought back to him. _I hate you. I hate you. I hate you._

"Now, my dear, today is going to be a little different."

Then with a flick of his wand, he unfroze me. By the time I realized it, he had already given another flick of his wand and ropes appeared and tied me to the wall. My legs were tied together, while my arms were tied in a T-position. My feet were touching the ground, but the ground was cold and made me shiver. Dolohov smiled at my discomfort.

He then stood up. He was taller than me by at least a head, probably more. "Much better," he then said. "It makes it a lot easier to have a conversation with someone if he or she is capable of talking."

I stayed silent. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of responding to him.

"I bet you are wondering, my dear, why you here?" Dolohov then said.

I responded by adverting my eyes to the other side of the room. He roughly grabbed my head and pulled it back so I was forced to look at him. His nails were long and dug into my cheek. He said harshly, "You pay attention while I am talking to you, you understand?"

I didn't say anything, but I didn't attempt to look away again either. He gathered his composure once again, smiled, and said, "It seems like you aren't going to be cooperative. I wasn't really expecting you to. So I brought a little something to persuade you to behave and listen to those who are in control."

He then pulled out a silver dagger. It was long. Maybe seven or eight inches. He held it to my face so that I could have a better look. The hilt was dark black with silver words inscribed on the side. They said, "Ut vobis requiem in pacem."

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Dolohov then said, looking lovingly at the dagger. When I didn't say anything, he brought up his eyes to meet my own, placed the dagger against my arm, and repeated, "Isn't she?"

Panic rose within me, but I tried to subdue it. I needed to stay calm. "Yes, she is," I replied.

His smile grew; he put a small slash into my arm and said, "I don't like repeating myself."

Shock went through me as I turn my head as far as it could go and saw my bleeding arm. The blood felt warm on it as it slowly dripped to the floor. I looked back at Dolohov, my eyes wide. He let out a small laugh.

"Now that we understand how this is going to work," he said, "let's get started. I bet you are wondering why you are here?"

I nodded yes this time. I couldn't get myself to speak, but I didn't want another slash on my arm.

"Well, as you know my father was a Death Eater. Antonin Dolohov. One of the best Death Eaters of all time," he said. His smile never wavered as he spoke.

"I didn't know he had a son," I replied. Throughout the years I have studied about the Golden Trio. Of course we were required to write a paper on them every year in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Uncle Harry would give lectures to our class on some day, but I would go further. I studied about almost everything during those days. Hogwarts life, Horcruxes, all of the Ministers of Magic, and the Death Eaters.

"Nobody knew he had a son," Dolohov replied. His smile fell just the slightest. It wasn't really enough for me to notice if I hadn't been looking at it at that exact second. "He didn't like advertising it. I was younger than the beloved Golden Trio, and my mother taught me magic at home.

"Anyways, my father was loyal to Lord Voldemort. He spent many years in Azkaban in honor of him, and did everything that was asked of him and more. I looked up to my father. He was my role model, so to speak, but nobody else gave him the right amount of praise. Especially not his master, Lord Voldemort. No, he loved that traitor Severus Snape, and the failure, Lucius Malfoy.

"My family went through much pain and suffering due to your father, the wonderful Harry Potter." He said my uncle's name as if were a piece of spinach caught in his teeth.

"He died, leaving my mother and me with nothing due to your accursed father," he continued. Then his smile grew larger. "But I have you here to fix that. I am going to send your father threw as much pain as I went through. An eye for an eye. It's only fair."

"Why haven't you just done it then?" I asked. "Why do you hold me here? Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

I didn't want to plant any ideas into his head, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"Because I don't want to just break him. I want him to know that I broke you too," he said, darkly. A shiver ran up my spine, and fear followed behind it.

He took a step closer to my, dagger in hand. "Now hold still, my dear. This will only hurt for a second," he said before cutting into my arm again.

I couldn't help but scream. I mentally scolded myself afterwards, when I saw that my pain brought him pleasure. I tried not scream again, but sometimes I would falter.

About an hour later he left. I had six cuts on my arms. Three on each side. Before he left, he poured a bit of Essence of Dittany on each cut, saying, "We wouldn't want you to bleed to death. Now what fun would that be?"

As he closed the door, the ropes undid themselves. I rubbed each scar on my arm slowly, feeling the tears filled up in my eyes. I forced them to stop. I was proud to say that I hadn't cried that entire time, and I wasn't going to start now. _Stay strong, _I told myself. _That's what your father would have told you to do. _

To get my mind off of today, I went to the corner where I stored my little white rock. I put another little white mark on my count. It was hard to decipher how much time has passed. There was no window in the room. I was pretty sure it was some sort of cellar. I tried using when my meals came to figure out what time of day it was. One in the morning, one at night. According to my count, I had been here for five days, but I could be off by a day or two.

"Please find me," I whispered. I thought of my parents, Michael, Scorpius, and Lily. "Please."

* * *

><p><strong>I hated writing this chapter. I am going to try to post another chapter later today, because I am pretty sure the suspense is killing more than just me. It will probably not come until very late at night, though. Until then, tell me how much you hate this part of my story;)<strong>


	36. October 21, 2028

**October 21, 2028:**

I was whimpering on the cold, hard floor. We had just finished with one of our "little sessions," as Dolohov likes to call them. This time I got a cut for every single time his father had to leave him and his mother to go do Lord Voldemort's bidding. There were a countless amount of cuts on my arms, all healed right away. I could still feel the phantom pains though. I knew I was going to die soon. Dolohov seemed to be getting bored with me.

I curled up into a ball and tried to keep from falling asleep by pinching my legs. I didn't have the heart to pinch my arms. I didn't want to sleep also. It would just relive all of the pain in my dreams. I was terrified of them. I would wake up thrashing and screaming with tears streaming down my face every single time.

Because of my random sleep pattern, I lost track of my sense of day and night. I also lost track of how many days I have been here, in this dark room. My last mark was ten, but I knew for a fact that I had been here longer than ten days.

I was scared. Terrified. I was shaking because I was so afraid. I watched the door relentlessly, hoping that it would never open again.

I stopped thinking about my family and my boys a long time ago. It hurt too much to think of them, but for some reason they just popped into my head. I didn't push away the thoughts like I usually would. I needed the comfort that they brought, even if it was just an imaginary them.

I imagine them all walking into the room through the door, instead of Dolohov. First my mother came in. She walked right in front of me. She was smiling, holding her arms out to hold me. She used to hold me when I cried when I was younger. Then my father walked in. Both of them start to argue about some nonsensical thing. My mother sighed and said "exasperated" a lot, while my father tried to explain to her why he was right. Hugo walked in, trying his best to break it up. I giggled.

Then Michael and Scorpius came. Michael kept on telling me that it would be alright. He told me that everyone was searching for me, and that they would find me soon. Scorpius started talking about how he was going to "beat that bastard up." There was fire in his eyes. I started to laugh again. He didn't appreciate my giggles. I could tell that it hurt his ego.

Lily then opened the door and stood next to Michael. He grabbed her hand as she said, "Thank you, Rose."

I knew she was thanking me for being here. For taking her spot even though I never had a choice. I wanted to hate Lily, because I was here and she wasn't. It didn't matter though. I couldn't hate Lily. I could never wish anybody here in my place, least of all her.

They Albus stormed in. He was shouting. "Rose! Rose we got to go! Rose, come on! Get off the floor!"

This confused me slightly. Usually Albus would be joking about one thing or another. Never did he shout at me. Also he was in his Auror robes. He never wore them unless he was out on a mission. He always complained about how they were too itchy.

He then picked me up and started to carry me out of the room.

At first I thought I was having some wild hallucination. I had finally gone crazy. I was imagining that Albus Potter was carrying me out of the dark, terrible room. I was imagining him carrying me up the stairs. Up into the rest of the house. It was strange though. I had imagined the house before, and this is not how I pictured it. I looked up at Albus' face, confused. There was a scar on his cheek that I didn't recognize.

"Rose, you are safe," Albus then whispered.

That's when I realized, that this was real life. This was the real Albus Potter. I was actually being saved! I wrapped both my arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. He didn't seem to mind. He just started to run a bit faster out of the house.

Once we exited the front door, I noticed we were in the woods. It was dark. The sky was full of stars. We were definitely farther out of London than I first anticipated. Next I noticed my mother, Hugo, Lily, and Michael all waiting for me. Tears filled my mother's eyes as she saw me. I didn't understand why she was crying.

"Mom!" I screamed, practically leaping out of Albus' arms. I dashed as fast as my weak legs could take me. She held out her arms just as I imagine only moments before. She pulled me into a hug, and I started to cry too.

"Rose! Oh, Rose!" she exclaimed.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes. My mother hugging me, and Hugo started to rub my back. I cried and cried.

Finally they both let go of me, and I collapsed on to the ground. Lily then crouched down next to me. "Rose, I feel terrible. I am so sorry. You should have never been in there. Never gone through everything you did. It's all my—"

I knew she was going to say "fault," but I stopped her before she could. "Never. Ever. Say. That. It. Was. Your. Fault," I said. "You should have never been in there either. Nobody should have."

She then gave me a hug.

Michael was up next. He pulled me into the biggest bear hug he could manage. Honestly, in his arms, I felt safe for the first time. There was a little voice in the back of my head saying that Dolohov was only feet away from me, but in Michael's arms it didn't matter. I knew he wouldn't let anybody hurt me. Nobody here would.

"Rosie Posie," he said gruffly into my ear. I could it shake, though he tried his best to cover it.

"I love you, Michael," I said.

"I love you too. Never ever do that to Scorpius or me ever again."

That was when I noticed that Scorpius wasn't here. For some reason, this really bothered me. "Where is he?" I asked, wiping the last of the tears from my eyes. _No more tears,_ I told myself. _Dolohov is not worth them. _

Albus and Michael exchanged a quick glance, before Michael looked back down at me warily.

"What?" I asked.

"Scorpius wasn't allowed on the property," Michael said, cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

Albus surprised me by replying, "My father and Uncle Ron have been searching for Antonin Dolohov's son for about a year now after getting a couple of tips about his existence. When the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was notified of your abduction, we used a time turner to get a good look of the guy. The person came back, and the description matched perfectly with Dmitri Dolohov's. That's how we found you as fast as we did. A random person kidnapping you, with no leads at all would be very difficult to track on our side.

"Your father was furious. He convinced Dad to have everyone work overtime, even though we would all have done just that anyways. We all searched for Dolohov. Finally, after multiple false leads and a couple of… er… not so law abiding methods, we heard about this shack. It was just supposed to be our dads coming, but I convinced them to let me join."

My mother then continued the story, "When your father told me that he may have found you, I basically told him that he would let me go, or I would never speak to him again."

"Then I used my 'Daddy's Little Girl' powers to convince my dad to let Michael and come and stay with Aunt Hermione," Lily then said, winking. "I tried to convince him to let Scorpius come too but…"

"But Dolohov was the son of a Death Eater," a voice behind me said. It was my father. I ran straight into his arms. "Hi, pumpkin."

"Thank you," I said. "But what does Dolohov being a Death Eater's son have anything to do with Scorpius not being allowed to be here?"

My Uncle Harry, who I hadn't noticed was standing behind my dad, replied, "Well, I had to pull a lot of strings to let your mother, brother, cousin, and friend to come along on a top secret Auror mission. The Minister of Magic wouldn't let me bring another Death Eater descendant."

I was going to argue that Scorpius would never do anything like my low-life, scumbag captor did, but I knew everybody here knew that already. Hell, the Minister of Magic probably also knew, but rules were rules. It would be setting a bad example. Even though I didn't like it, I understood it.

Michael then said, "Scorpius was furious. He sulked all day, and broke a couple of lamps over it. I think he was more worried than I was. At least I had Lily here for me, Scorpius didn't really have anybody. He has barely eaten in days."

I glance down at their hands that were intertwined with each others. For some reason this made me think of a day back during our seventh year. It was the day that Scorpius kissed me behind the tapestry and asked me to be his girlfriend. We stayed behind there, kissing, until breakfast was over. Me, being the nerd I was, said that we could be late for class. Our next classes were in different directions, so we parted then.

I remember my last class of the morning was Potions. He met me outside of the dungeon, even though he was coming from the Charms classroom which many floors upstairs. I asked him how he got there so quickly. He gave me some cocky remark, and I try to hit him. Instead he grabbed my hand before it touched him, interlocked his fingers in mine, and walked with me to lunch. I remember feeling so loved.

That was about when I noticed a bright, sparkling diamond on Lily's finger. "You're engaged!" I exclaimed.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her left hand like she forgot. "Yeah."

I glared at Michael. "And you couldn't wait to do it until I was found?"

"When I heard that Dolohov was actually looking for Lily when he took you, I could barely breathe. I proposed then and there. I couldn't bear the thought that something could happen to her at any time, and I wouldn't at least get to call her my wife once. We went a bought a ring later," Michael explained. I could tell he was happy.

I smiled. I was glad he was happy. I was glad that she was happy. They were perfect for each other.

"Oh," he then exclaimed. "I almost forgot! Happy birthday, Rose!"

"Wait? It's my birthday?" I asked. I counted in my head. That meant I was in there for thirteen days. Almost two full weeks.

"Yeah," Michael said. "I guess it was a good day to get you out of there then."

He then pulled out a small gift from his coat. I unwrapped it and gasped. It was a scrapbook full of pictures of my Hogwarts year. They were mostly of Scorpius, Michael, and I, but my family, Roxanne, Lily, and some of my other friends were scatter throughout it. I wrapped my arms around Michael and squealed, "Thank you so much! It's perfect!"

"Good, because Scorpius and I have been working on it for months. It was his idea actually. I was surprised, because it was a pretty good one," he joked.

"Speaking of Scorpius," Lily then said. "We should probably get you home before he blows a gasket."

All of us chuckled. I took in a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out. I was safe. I was safe and was going home.


	37. October 22, 2028

**October 22, 2028:**

I was back in the cold, dark room, tied to the wall. Dmitri Dolohov was coming back at me with the dagger. "Ut vobis requiem in pacem."

"May you rest in peace," he said, showing me his bleach white teeth. The glint of insanity seemed to be shining brighter than usual.

"Stop!" I screamed at him. "Don't do it! I am safe! I AM SAFE!"

"You will never be safe, my dear," he said.

All I could see as the knife cut into my arm was his cruel grin. Once. Twice. Three times. I screamed and screamed and screamed. He laughed.

Then I woke up. I was covered in sweat. It was still dark in my room, even though I knew it was the next day. I was half expecting to see Dolohov hovering over me again, just like he was that night two weeks ago. My heart was racing, and my breathing was uneven. It took me five minutes before I could calm myself down, and even then I was still afraid. I was paralyzed with fear.

When I got home earlier that night, Scorpius nearly strangled me in a hug. He didn't make any wise comments or act like getting kidnapped was my entire fault. Instead he started to cry. Never in my life have I ever seen Scorpius Malfoy cry. Michael was right. He was really scared for me. Though it sucked that he felt terrible, I was kind of happy. I didn't realize how much he cared for me.

I thanked him for the scrapbook, and he said that it was nothing. After that, a wave of sleepiness washed over me. I told everyone that I was going to bed. Scorpius volunteered to walk me to my room. I didn't complain even though it was only a couple of feet away, and I knew I would be fine. He needed to soothe his fears as much I needed to soothe my own. He not only walked me into my room, but he also tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead like I was five again. I felt blush creep on my cheeks.

"Goodnight, Rose," he said. "Please be here in the morning."

I smiled and said, "Goodnight, Scorpius."

I thought that the dreams would go away now that I was safe at home. I thought the nightmare was in the past. I was obviously wrong. Maybe the dreams would never go away. Maybe I would be forced to relive my two weeks in captivity every single night. The thought cause another panic attack.

All of a sudden, my room seemed so large and empty. The shadows looked eerie. It felt a bit too cold.

I crept out of my room. I was planning on going to Michael's room. I knew he would keep me safe, but with my hand on the doorknob, I changed my mind. I knew Lily wasn't the jealous type or anything, but I didn't think waking up to find your fiancée in bed with another girl, especially his ex, wouldn't set well with anybody. She knew we were just friends, but there were boundaries and lines that couldn't be crossed. I knew I would be pretty pissed off, so I could never do that to Lily.

That left Scorpius. After Roxanne's death, Scorpius had kept his eye on me. Overall, I thought I coped well with her death, except for that one night after her funeral. Scorpius thought that I was just a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode again. I keep on trying to tell him that I was alright, but he never believed me.

For a while there I wasn't even allowed to breathe without Scorpius' okay. After me complaining about how he isn't my father for weeks, Michael finally had to step in. Usually Michael liked to stand on the sidelines, out of the danger zone, and laugh over how big of gits we both are. When he gets involved in Scorpius versus me arguments and actually has to stop them, you know it's bad.

I was expecting Scorpius to act pretty much the same way after this traumatic experience. He would probably be even more over-protective, because this one affected me directly.

But even though it mostly annoyed me at the time, I was also kind of happy that he cared so much about me. Plus he stayed with me that night when I asked him too, and he would do just as good of a job at protecting me as Michael, if not better. So I didn't feel disappointed when I took my hand off of Michael's doorknob and redirected myself towards Scorpius' bedroom. I might have even felt a bit better.

I opened his door, tiptoed across the room, and crawled under his covers. The bed was soft, and the blankets were warm. I could feel even more body heat radiating from his body. His eyes opened, with a tinge of fear in them. It was replaced with worry when he noticed it was just me who woke him up.

"Rose!" he said, slightly panicky. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No," I said, trying to calm him. "I just had a bad dream."

He thought about this for a moment before saying, "This isn't the first one, is it?"

I shook my head no.

Scorpius then started to curse under his breath and said, "If I ever get my hands on that low-life, he will never see the light of day again."

I snuggled into him and said, "It's alright, Scorpius. I know I am safe, but can I just stay here with you?" _I'm scared of being alone, _I wanted to add, but I didn't think that would help with his anger.

"Of course, Rose," he said, scooting over a bit. I curled myself into his side, and he wrapped one arm around me.

I thought he had fallen asleep when he said, "Rose."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. You are my Person."

I thought I heard a sigh come from him before he said, "What do you mean?"

"You know. My Person. The person that I go to for anything and everything. I tell you all my secrets, and you help me out with stuff and such," I replied. As I said it, I knew it was the truth. Scorpius was my Person. I trusted him with my entire life. Maybe that was the real reason why I walked away from Michael's door. "For a while there my Person was Michael, but ever since he started dating Lily, I just haven't had the heart to go to him with my problems anymore."

"Oh, I see how it is. I am just your replacement Person," he said, only half joking.

I shoved him lightly. "You know that's not true. You just didn't give very good advice when we were younger."

"And why do you say that?"

"Remember that one party after all of that Bradley mess?"

"As I recall, that night ended very nicely for the both of us," he said. I could practically hear the smirk in his words.

I rolled my eyes. "Well then, remember how I overheard Megan calling me a gargoyle, and you suggested that I should put a frog in her drink at breakfast during our second year? And then it hopped into practically every single Gryffindor plate."

He laughed. "I had totally forgotten about that. I had a really strange obsession with frogs that year."

"Yeah, you did. And it landed me with a month's worth of detentions."

"But now I give better advice," he then said.

"That you do," I replied. "And that's what makes you more Person worthy."

"Just so you know," Scorpius then said, "you are my Person too."


	38. February 13, 2029

**February 13, 2029:**

The nest couple of months went in much the same fashion. I went back to work, watched Scorpius play Quidditch, helped Lily with wedding plans, and had drinks with Michael at least once a week. Every night I would go to sleep in my own bed, but the nightmares would soon enough chase me into Scorpius'. Neither Michael nor Lily questioned it when I came crawling out of Scorpius' bed in the mornings, or maybe Scorpius told them after the first night. I didn't really care. I was just grateful that they never brought it up to me.

I had become a recluse. I stopped going out and partying like I did when I was younger. I stopped going out on dates also. It was like I didn't even see guys anymore, and more importantly, I hoped they didn't see me. One the other hand, Scorpius was going out on more dates. He was even going on second and third dates with some girls. It was strange.

I was out with Michael, tonight, and I decided to bring up my discovery.

"Well, he wants to find someone. Usually you have to go out on a couple of dates to do that," Michael then replied.

I frowned and swirled my drink absentmindedly.

"Rose, can I be super honest with you for a second?" Michael then asked.

I look up at him, sent him a confused look, and said, "Since when have you had to ask me if you could be honest?"

"Since you started going to Scorpius for advice instead of me," he merely replied.

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. I tried to stutter some excuse out, but Michael stopped me. "Don't worry about it," Michael then said. "It only makes sense."

I was glad that he understood without me even having to try to put my feelings into words. I could always count on Michael.

"I just wanted to say that you two should get back together," Michael then said.

"Me and who?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"You and Scorpius."

"And why do you say that."

He sighed and said, "Think about it. You were never happier then when you were dating him. He was the only guy that you dated who wasn't a total jerk or extremely jealous. Except for me, of course, but I don't really count. And lastly, and most importantly he still loves you, and I think you still love him."

"I am not in love with Scorpius!"

Michael rolled his eyes and then said, "Hmmm, well let's see. You are always at least mildly jealous of any girl that Scorpius has dated, kissed, or even flirted with. I am pretty sure that is the exact reason why you brought up Scorpius' dating patterns right now. Before whatever went down the night when you found out I was with Lily, you would be more than happy to snog him anytime he asked. And your face brightens whenever he walks into the room."

"I am not jealous of Scorpius' girls!" I snapped at him. I tried to gather my composure again. "I mean, of course, I don't like that he goes out with them so often. I would rather him stay at home and hang out with me, but I want you to do the same too."

Michael gave me a skeptical look. I knew he didn't believe me.

"And I didn't kiss him because I was in love with him," I then continued. "I just did it, because…" I couldn't seem to think of a reason, though.

Michael then gave me a very Scorpius-like smirk.

"He isn't in love with me either," I then added.

"Yes he is," he merely replied.

"How would you know that?"

"He told me."

"No way. Scorpius doesn't tell you things," I replied, trying to catch his bluff.

He gave me a dumbfounded look before saying, "You do realize that Scorpius and I are just as close as you and I are, right? We do talk about things, granted, they are usually more guy-ish topics, but we do talk all the same."

I didn't say anything at first. I guess I never really thought about it before. Did Scorpius and Michael talk about girls and broomsticks and stuff that guys talk about? Well of course they did. Why wouldn't they? But that meant…

"Scorpius is not in love with me."

"Sure he's not. He just drops everything to make sure the ground you walk on is licked clean because you guys are really good friends. I'll bet that he wants to be here with you instead of me, just like Lily would like to replace you with herself."

"He's not. I promise."

"Okay, Rose, but please don't take offense when I take his word over yours," Michael then said.

I punched him lightly before mumbling, "Jerk."

Michael gave me a lot to think about. Our entire walk back to our flat, I barely said three words. Scorpius couldn't possibly be in love with me, could he? We broke up years ago. I was hung up over him for a couple of months after that, but I got over him. I was still over him. He obviously didn't have any thoughts about dating me, or he would have told me already. He would have told me already, right?

I thought as hard as I could about all of the signs, but all I got were confused thoughts and a very bad headache.

I was rubbing my temples, when I walked into the door of our flat. Scorpius was in the living room. "Hey guys! How was—" but he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the look of pain on my face. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"I'm fine," I replied. "I just have a headache."

"I think we have some anti-headache potion in the kitchen. Do you want me t go get it for you?" he then asked.

"That would be lovely."

Michael the grinned straight at me and said, "Well, I see you have this one covered, Scorpius. I think I am just going to go to bed. Night!"

I knew he was just trying to leave the two of us alone. I shot a glare at him, but he pretended not to notice.

As Scorpius walked into the kitchen, I made my way to the couch. He came back with the med-like potion in a clear glass. He said, while handing it to me, "Sorry, I could only find a clear glass. I know you don't like looking at your potions when you take them."

I looked up at him, surprised. I have never told anybody that before. It was true. I always thought it made me seem weak, though, so I tried to conceal it. But he still noticed. I don't know why that did it, but it did. Everything seemed to click at that moment.

I was caught off guard by his liquid silver eyes. They were closer than I expected them to be.

I downed the contents of the cup, without really tasting it, and put the glass on the ground. I didn't want my brain to be all muddled for what I was going to do next.

"I am in love with you, Scorpius Malfoy. I have always been in love with you, and I will always be in love with you," I whispered.

The declaration didn't even seem to faze him. His grin merely grew as he said, "It took you long enough."

Then he kissed me.

I could feel myself getting lost in the kiss. I pulled back before I could, though. I needed to clear some things up first.

"What do you mean?"

He seemed slightly annoyed that I broke off the kiss. I thought it was cute.

"After we broke up, I was a wreck. I had more hookups in a couple of weeks then in my entire life. From what Michael said, you were doing pretty badly too. You got over it though. You started dating other people. I never really did, but I never said anything for your sake. That kiss I stole from you when you were in Ireland was just a weak moment for me. I hadn't seen you in forever, and I couldn't resist. I promised myself that I would be strong next time.

"There wasn't a next time, though. I moved back here. I got the team offer, and I was so excited. I was about to send you a letter. I thought we could get back together, but then I got Michael's letter saying that you two started to date. He seemed happy, and you did too, so I just sulked to myself. When I got back, you two were broken up, but it was only for a couple of days. It wouldn't be fair for me to do anything.

"I have been trying to get you back ever since, because Rose, I am in love with you too."

I felt my heart stop for a second. Then I broke out into the biggest smile I could manage. It was perfect.

I leaned in this time and kissed him hard. He then pulled back, and it was my turn to be annoyed.

"Where did this all come from anyways?" he asked.

"Michael said some things, and I guess I just always knew. I just needed a push in the right direction."

His hand wove into mine. "Rosie Posie."

This time he leaned in slowly. His lips barely brushed against mine. I wanted more, but he seemed to be in the mood to tempt me. His free hand made it way to my cheek and caressed it softly. I smiled against his lips.

A million memories flashed through my head at that moment. Spin the bottle. His kissing lesson. The Christmas he told me he loved me. Holding hands. Hugs. Laughter. Everything.

We continued kissing most of the night, but we did go to bed at some point. I didn't have any nightmares that night, but that didn't stop me from creeping into his room. He kissed me lightly as I crawled into my spot next to him. I fell asleep in perfect bliss.


	39. December 24, 2029

**December 24, 2029:**

I walked into the ballroom, holding Scorpius' hand tightly. For once in my entire life, I was actually the first one in the room. I was not only not late, but I was early. Way early. Astoria was actually still dictating loudly where decorations should be going and complaining about how some meat was prepared correctly.

Usually Mrs. Malfoy was the epitome of sweetness. She would always just try to be nice to people. For example, she volunteered at about a thousand different charities. She liked to make people happy, especially her son. She loved Scorpius more than anything on this earth. It was obvious that she and being at school for most of the year were the only reasons why Scorpius didn't try to run away from home when he was younger.

I have noticed that Mrs. Malfoy also had a sweet spot for me. She was actually the first to suggest that Scorpius and I should get married, way before we were even old enough to date. Of course, we both scoffed it off. Dating Scorpius seemed like the worst thing that could happen to me at the time. She just smiled, knowingly.

The only time Mrs. Malfoy's usual happy demeanor would darken would be before this party. I have never actually seen it myself because I was always so unbelievably late every year, but Scorpius would tell Michael and I stories about it when he still lived at home. As he would describe it, she would always want everything to be perfect, but what she called perfection others called godliness.

I always thought that Scorpius was exaggerating a tad bit, but after seeing Astoria firsthand, I had to agree. I would rather face a full-grown troll than her.

At that moment, Mrs. Malfoy sensed our presence in the doorway and shouted, "Whoever you are, you are way too early. Do you not know proper etiquette? You should tell your mother that she should have done a better job at raising you!"

Scorpius winked at me and replied, "Mother, some crazy lady told me that I should tell you that you should have done a better job at raising me."

She then turned around, recognizing the voice. Her face instantly brightened when she saw the two of us. "Scorpius, darling!" she exclaimed. "And Rose! You look absolutely lovely tonight!"

Mrs. Malfoy practically ran towards the two of us. "Hello, Mother," Scorpius said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Let's close the doors, dears," she said reaching for the doorknobs. "It is frightening out there. Your father suggested cancelling the party because of the storm, but I refused. I never heard of a little snow stopping wizards and witches from a good party."

She chuckled at her own joke, and I joined in. There was something about Mrs. Malfoy's laugh that always made me want to join in. It was just so genuinely happy all the time. It made you feel good.

"We brought you something, Mrs. Malfoy," I said, holding out a Christmas present wrapped in red paper.

"Thank you so much," she said, as she grabbed the box. "And Rose, darling, you and my son are practically married already. I think you can call me Astoria."

I blushed at the statement. Scorpius just let out a loud laugh and said, "If I could only get her to marry me for real, we'd be at the Ministry of Magic right now making it official."

I blushed an even deeper red, if that was even possible. I couldn't believe he said that in front of his mother. I try to shoot daggers at him with my eyes, but Scorpius was pointedly not looking at me, trying to act innocent.

"And why don't you want to marry my son," Astoria then said. He face looked fierce, but there was a playful look in her eye.

There was nothing more I wanted to do than marry Scorpius. Honestly. I loved him more than I ever thought possible. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it, but for some reason I just didn't want to get married. It was strange, though. I had been dreaming about finding true love, getting married, and living happily ever after since I was a little girl. Then I find my knight in shining armor, and he practically begs me to marry him, and I refuse.

I remember the day perfectly. It was the middle of summer on the day that Michael and Lily got married. The sky was a bright blue. The birds were chirping. The flowers were in full bloom. The ceremony was being held on the hill behind the Burrow where we used to play Quidditch. Everything was beautiful. It wasn't until later, though.

I was dancing with Michael the reception. Scorpius, the only person who I would allow to interrupt us, grabbed my hand and pulled me against him. Michael continued dancing with Lily, as Scorpius led me out of the little tent in my grandparent's backyard.

We walked in silence until we could barely hear the music. Then Scorpius laid down on the soft grass and said, "The stars are beautiful tonight."

I followed suit and laid down next to him, curling into him and resting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped one of his arms around me.

We were quiet for the next couple of minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable, but for some reason it was still a bit melancholy. Though neither of us said it out loud, we both knew we were losing one of our best friends today. He and Lily were both moving out, but it was more than that. Of course Michael would still be around, but he wasn't ours anymore. He was starting a new chapter, and Scorpius and I weren't main characters in his story anymore.

"Marry me," Scorpius said, barely over a whisper.

I felt my face go pale white instead of deep red for the first time in my life. I knew I was going to marry Scorpius, but for some reason it seemed like that would be a long time away. We have only been dating for a couple of months, and I just wanted to enjoy this stage in our relationship. I wanted the full package. I didn't want to rush to the end, just to find out that I missed something that I should have done before we were married.

"Scorpius," I said.

"Don't worry," he said, knowing I was going to refuse before I actually did in a way that only people who truly loved you could. "I think I am just caught up in the wedding mood. I'll try again later, though."

And he did. About once a month he would bring it up, and he didn't need an explanation every single time I turned him down.

"It's alright, Mother. She'll have to give when the time is right. She just knows better than I do when that time is. I just assume that if I keep on asking her at regular intervals, I won't miss it."

Astoria and Scorpius started to laugh, but I didn't feel like joining in this time. Only Scorpius could make me seem absolutely perfect but feel absolutely guilty with just one sentence.

"We came a little early to help you set up. Scorpius says you get a bit stressed around this time," I said, trying to change the topic. Marriage was a sore spot for me right now.

"Thank you," she said. "We could really use your help right now."

After finishing up the decorations, I stood with Scorpius and his parents as they greeted their guests. It was nice. It was really like I was a part of their family.

When we were done saying our hellos, Scorpius held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

He twirled me across the room, never looking away from me. I blushed under his gaze. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," I replied, tears filling my eyes.

His brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I feel terrible."

"Are you sick?"

"No, it's just, how can I turn you down so many times, and you don't think twice about it?"

Scorpius smiled, which really bothered me. How could he smile, when I was being so serious? This was probably one of the most important conversations in our entire relationship, and he thought it was funny.

"But there is something wrong with me, Scorpius!" I exclaimed. "I should be overjoyed that you proposed. I should want that more than anything. I should be begging you to marry me, but that's not how it is. And you still stay with me."

"Rose, we are going to get married one day. We are meant for each other, though it hasn't always seemed that way. When doesn't matter to me."

This just made me angrier. "How do you know? How do you know that when say I don't want to get married to you that I don't mean forever!"

The grin fell from his face. I noticed that we hadn't been dancing for a while now. Scorpius looked almost scary when he said, "I don't."

Then he continued twirling me as if the conversation never even happened. The song ended, and the next one started. We stopped dancing and went to go find some food. Scorpius talked to some associates of his father, while I found Michael and Lily talking to Albus. Scorpius then found all of us, and we spent the rest of the night laughing.

My heart wasn't totally into it, though. I was observing Scorpius closely. He wasn't holding my hand even though he was close enough to, which wasn't that strange. I did notice that his eyes glanced in my direction every few minutes, as if checking to make sure I was still there, though. There was nothing but love in them.

Scorpius wasn't sure if I was going to marry him or not, but he still tried. He still believed I would. He wasn't checking to see if I would ditch him, because we both knew I never could. Scorpius was just looking to see me. To make sure I was okay. He trusted me. He knew me. Scorpius had given me his heart completely. Have I given my heart fully to him?

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this chapter took me a while! I kind of been a bit sidetracked lately. Only a couple of chapters left in the story! Hope you like it:)<strong>


	40. December 24, 2029 (Later)

**December 24, 2029 (Later):**

Scorpius, Albus, and Michael were chatting about Quidditch teams, and who they thought was going to be playing in the upcoming Quidditch Cup. Albus was going on about the Kestrels, while Scorpius was forever loyal to his Magpies. Michael rolled his eyes at the both of them and threw in his own input. As Albus and Michael got into a heated debate over their favorite teams, Scorpius leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I think the Golden Boy might be losing his touch. The Magpies are definitely going to win it all."

I closed my eyes, and for a second, I could almost imagine we were back in school. I was reminded of a time when I wished that everything would remain the same. It was a dumb wish, because—whether or not I wanted it to—everything would change.

As soon as I opened my eyes again, I blurted, "Let's do it, right now."

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius replied, confusion plastered on his face. And maybe a hint of hope. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

"I want to get married right now. I get it now. You are the one thing I could never live without, and I took that for granted. I was trying to hold on to the past, because everything is different. I'm different. The point is that you have always been there for me, and I love you more that I ever thought I could love another person. No matter the circumstance. I need you. That has never changed, and it never will. So, let's get married. Right now."

Silence followed my speech. Scorpius looked at me with wide eyes, as if I just lost my mind. I probably did.

It was just, in that moment, I knew it was time. Scorpius didn't have to do anything. I just realized that everything I was ever scared of has happened to me one time or another. I was kidnapped, broken hearted, lost someone special to me. There were a countless amount of disappointments in life. Times when I lost all hope, and it was impossible to bring me back. And yet he always found a way.

A part of me still was that bright-eyed, curious girl that loved nothing more than learning and being at Hogwarts with her friends. I still wanted to be that girl who laid in the grass and gazed up at the stars, trying to hold onto a fleeting moment. I wasn't that girl, though. I have been through hell and back since then, and it has made me stronger. I never stopped to think what it did to Scorpius, though.

It should be killing him that I never say yes. There should be some doubt in his mind that I love him. That I will choose him, because he has lost me time and time again. But somehow we have made our way back to each other every single time. He had faith in us, because we had pushed through time and time again.

Albus was the one who finally broke the silence, but I didn't hear what he said. I was lost in Scorpius's silver eyes, waiting for his answer. The only one that mattered.

Everyone started moving around us. It felt like the entire world was in fast forward, but Scorpius and I were still on pause. Someone handed me a bouquet, but I never looked away from Scorpius' face, still trying to gauge his reaction.

"Are you sure about this? We can wait a couple months, so that you have time to plan," Scorpius finally said.

I shook my head. "It has to be right now. Everyone is already here. You have been waiting for months. I don't care that it's rushed. All I care about is you."

His face broke out into the biggest grin I had ever seen. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me into another room, and then into a hallway. We winded our way through his parents house, until he pulled me into what I assumed was his childhood room.

I had never seen the room when Scorpius grew up in, which now struck me as strange. It seemed like any other normal teenaged wizard's room. There were Quidditch posters and old textbooks. It had a dusty smell, like it hadn't been used in a while.

There was a large mirror on the other side of the room. I saw both my own and Scorpius' reflection in it. In addition to the bouquet, someone placed a veil on my head and changed my dress to white. My entire outfit looked terrible and hastily thrown together, but I didn't care. I only had eyes for Scorpius. He looked pretty much the same as he did when we walked into the party earlier this evening, but somehow he looked even more attractive, if that was even possible. I was melting just at the sight of him.

Through the window, I noticed that it was snowing. _Snow on Christmas Eve_, I thought to myself. _How romantic._

Scorpius continued to pull me towards the center of the room and sat down on his bed. He gestured for me to sit next to him.

"Now tell me honestly," he said after I sat down, still grinning. "You really want to do this?"

"Yes."

All of a sudden, he pulled me onto his lap and jammed his lips against mine. At first our kissing was urgent, but soon enough it slowed down. He placed one hand on my lower back and the other on my thigh. Both of mine were wrapped around his neck, pulling at the hair there. All too soon, we were interrupted by Scorpius' mother.

"Dear me," she said, after we both looked up, out of breath, "we thought we lost you. Someone told me that you two decided to get married right now."

I tried to scramble out of Scorpius' lap, but he held on tight to me. My face turned bright red. "Yes, mother," Scorpius replied, not the least bit embarrassed. "That is going to happen in a moment, but right now I just want to have a moment with my future bride. We'll be out in a moment."

My face turned a deeper shade of red, if that was even possible. I swatted at Scorpius, but he just chuckled and began kissing my neck.

Astoria waltzed into the room, frowning, and said, "Absolutely not. There is tons to do and no time to do it in. And Rose needs a moment to breath. And for someone to fix her outfit. And you need to go get cleaned up too."

Astoria pulled me back to her room. Lily and my mother were both already waiting, laughing as I walked in. "I told Albus to try to make you like a bride, but I didn't mean the Bride of Frankenstein," she said.

"Lily, will you be my maid of honor?" I asked, ignoring her comment. My head was still with Scorpius.

"Of course! Who else would it be?" she replied, joking. The air all of a sudden got heavy. Both of us were thinking of Roxanne, even though that was not what Lily was thinking about originally. Roxanne would have wanted to be here. She would have said almost the exact same thing, if I had asked her to be my maid of honor. I was sure of that.

"You. It would have always been you."

And I meant it. Because even if Roxanne was still alive, she would have been in some far off place trying to find some new version of herself. Meanwhile, Lily was here and was my best girl friend.

Lily smiled, truly touched by my words. She knew how important they were.

Astoria, Lily, and my mom wasted no time in fixing me up. One worked on the dress, another did my hair and makeup, and the last tried to organize to bouquet. Soon enough, I was beautiful and more ready than I had ever been for anything in my life.

"Thank you so much," I said to all of them.

My mother had tears in her eyes. "I love you, sweetheart," she said, before pulling me into a hug.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

There was then a knock at the door, and my dad poked his head in. "Is okay if I come in? I brought a friend."

"Absolutely," Astoria replied, and my father walked in with Michael behind him. I smiled at my two favorite boys, behind Scorpius of course.

"Now I distinctly remember," my father began, "saying that you were stay away from the Malfoy boy."

I smiled mischievously, but it was Michael who answered. "Well, Rose was never good at taking boy advice."

I then gave each of them a hug. "I proposed a toast," Astoria said, pulling champagne out from some hidden compartment in her room.

She poured everyone a glass, and then raised hers. Everyone else followed suit. "To Scorpius and Rose," she said. "May they finally get the happily ever after they deserve."

Everyone clinked glasses and then took a sip. After the toast, Astoria said, "Well, now I should check on my son. Got to make sure that he isn't the one with cold feet now."

We all chuckled as she left. "I just wanted to say thank you to all of you," I then said. "If it wasn't for each of you, I wouldn't be here today. And I mean that literally. I am so happy to call you my family."

Hugo was next to walk into the room. "Are you about ready, because Scorpius is out there, and he looks like he ate about a dozen chocolate frogs."

"Yes, I'm ready," I said, meaning it more than ever.

Everyone else filed out of the room first, but Michael. He held back and grabbed my hand. "I knew this day would come eventually the second we broke up."

"Really?" I asked, shocked. Michael and I very rarely talked about the brief time when we tried dating. There was never a reason to. Both of us found our soulmates.

"Yeah, you were never happier than you were when you were with Scorpius. I think that is honestly why things never did really work between us. There was a piece of me that hoped something might change back then, but now I know that it was the best thing that could have happened for us," he said, giving my hand a squeeze.

We left the room an made our way to the ballroom. Somehow, in just in an hour or so, the entire room had changed. Decorations in white and gold covered the room, instead of red and green. There were chairs facing an arch and an aisle down the middle. Everyone was seated and waiting patiently. I saw my mother and Astoria make their way to the front row, which was occupied by Mr. Malfoy, Hugo, and a few other Weasleys. Scorpius was at the end of the aisle, looking more handsome than ever. Michael made his way next to Scorpius side. I watched Michael lean in a whisper something in Scorpius' ear. He laughed in reply. My two best friends.

"You sure you are ready?" my father then asked.

"Why does everyone keep on asking me that?"

"Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I am still hoping you will leave the Malfoy boy like I told you."

I smiled. "I am most absolutely ready."

Music began to play, and Lily was first to walk. We waited a couple of seconds, and then my father and I started walking too. The entire room turned to watch. I could feel their eyes on me, but I could only see Scorpius. His eyes were glowing silver. His trademark smirk was on his face.

The ceremony was beautiful, I would assume, but I couldn't really tell you myself. Because from the second our eyes locked, we were engulfed in each other. He kissed me. The clock struck midnight. People laughed. People cried. We were hugged and wished good luck in the future. We danced and partied. The night was still young in our minds.

It wasn't until later, when Scorpius and I were back in our flat, that I finally felt like I could breath again.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Scorpius said, grinning.

"I am keeping my name. 'Weasley' holds some weight around here. Maybe you should change yours," I merely replied.

Scorpius winded his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "Mrs. Rose Malfoy."

I smiled. "Okay, maybe it's growing on me."

He placed a gentle kiss on my lips before saying, "I think we got interrupted earlier." He then moved to kissing my neck.

"I love you," he whispered against my skin.

And the rest was history. Scorpius and I got our happily ever after. I was a princess for a day. He was the most perfect guy I could have ever imagine. I was happy, pure and simple. And I loved him.


End file.
